Finding Beauty
by HisButterflygrl
Summary: What happens when Hermione is dropped into the Supernatural world before the Battle of Hogwarts? How is she going to get back to help Harry defeat Lord Voldemort? Set at the start of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 and the end of Supernatural season 5. Slightly more AU than I originally planned for. T for language.
1. Lost It All pt 1

**A/n: I've had this story bouncing around in my head for a while. I am absolutely terrible at updating my stories, so I waited to post this until it was written in its entirety, and edited. I hope you enjoy!**

 **I do not own the characters from Harry Potter or Supernatural. HP belongs solely to J. K. Rowling and SPN belongs solely to Mr. Eric Kripke.**

 **Chapter title inspiration: Lost It All by Black Veil Brides**

 **Chapter 1**

Somewhere, England, 2011

The familiar tug of apparition pulled the group Dobby had rescued from Malfoy Mansion until they landed, scattered on a beach. The water of The Channel roared in on a wave that drenched the bottom portion of the jeans Hermione Granger was wearing. She was lying in the sand, the lower part of her legs in the wet sand where the waves were able to reach as they rushed into shore. Lifting her head, she could see Ron was laying almost parallel to her a few feet to her right, and Harry the same to her left.

She pushed herself into a sitting position and pushed the hair that the wind had blown into her face away. Taking in more of her surroundings, she saw Luna helping the elderly Ollivander to his feet, and Griphook already standing, brushing the sand from his clothes. Hermione took a moment to take a breath, before lifting herself from the ground to look for their rescuer. Everyone else looked like they got there in one piece so she was hopeful. Unfortunately, Harry's yell broke the hope she'd had.

"Dobby!" Harry yelled, running towards the edge of the beach, where the sand met a gentle slope upwards. Long grass was blowing with the breeze.

Immediately Hermione followed Harry, her legs carrying her as fast as they could. When she dropped down next to where he'd collapsed on his knees, she choked back a sob at what she saw. There was Dobby, he'd collapsed into Harry's arms, the same knife used to carve horrid words into the skin of Hermione's arm, sticking out from Dobby's chest. Dark blood was staining the cloth he always wore with pride since becoming a free elf.

"Hermione, you must be able to do something!" Harry exclaimed, a frantic look upon his face behind his once again, broken glasses.

"I'm sorry, I can't." Hermione sobbed out knowing at this point that there was nothing she could do to save Dobby. His injuries were too grave, and he only had a matter of moments left. She vaguely heard Ron come up behind her and Harry through her grief. The look of pure defeat and depression that came over Harry's face in that moment cut her heart in half.

Dobby said something to Harry that Hermione couldn't hear through her sobs, before he took his last breath and was still. Collapsing back into the sand, Ron came up behind her and hugged her around her shoulders as she cried for Dobby, for the hell the war was putting everyone through, for what Bellatrix had done to her, for just plain everything happening. She didn't know how long she sat in the sand sobbing for the loss of such a caring and loyal former house elf, but Ron kneeled behind her the entire time hugging her shoulders and letting her cry. Harry was still kneeling in the sand holding his forever still friend sobbing as hard as, if not harder than Hermione was.

Harry thought back over all of the ways Dobby had proved himself a loyal friend to him, even when he did things that almost killed him in order to keep Harry safe his second year at Hogwarts. Ron, while holding Hermione by the shoulders as she fell apart, and watching his best friend lose it, sat sadly thinking about how easily that could have been anyone he loved. He truly felt the fear and grief he'd held in check for months, while holding the friend who he had begun feeling slightly more than friend feelings for.

While the trio grieved, no one noticed that Luna had joined their group, and had closed Dobby's eyes so he only looked as if he was sleeping and not dead. When their time of initial grief had passed, the weary travelers stood and surveyed the beach where Dobby had brought them. There was a cottage a little way down the beach where two people were exiting and heading towards the group of witches, wizards, and a goblin. Both Hermione and Harry grabbed for their wands until the pair were close enough they could make out who they were. Relief flooded them when they recognized Bill Weasley and his new wife Fleur.

"We heard the crack of someone apparating." Bill said out of breath as he stopped in front of the group.

"Dobby brought us here." Harry said, his voice still rough from grief.

"Come, let's get inside, it may not be safe to be outside this long." Bill replied, gesturing for the group to walk ahead of him.

The group walked around Bill, and headed toward the cottage from whence Bill and Fleur came, including Harry who was carrying Dobby's body as if it were that of a sleeping child. Hermione waited a heartbeat before remembering the Sword of Gryffindor. She started looking around frantically as the group moved farther away from where she stood. The sun broke through a sucker hole in the clouds right at that moment, and something glittered in the sand near where she'd landed when Dobby aparated them there. She jogged as best she could on overtired muscles, and while wearing wet blue jeans over to the sword glittering in the sand just beyond the water's reach.

Once she'd secured the sword, she jogged her way over to Ron and Harry who were walking side by side towards the cottage. No words were spoken at all between the friends. Nothing needed to be said. They were one in their grief, in the sheer exhaustion of the quest Dumbledore had sent Harry on that Hermione and Ron refused to not be a part of, in everything that was going on in the wizarding world.

"I want to bury Dobby. Without using magic." Harry said quietly as the trio continued towards the seaside cottage.

"Okay Harry, that would be really nice. I think he'd have liked it." Hermione said gently, resting a hand on Harry's shoulder.

When they reached the cottage, they were all given rooms. Given the number of people as compared to the number of bedrooms, some had to share. Bill and Fleur had already set up camp in the downstairs bedroom. Griphook and Ollivander were given their own rooms, and that left Luna, Hermione, Ron, and Harry to share the last of them. Harry gently laid Dobby's body on the bed before the group took their turns in the loo to clean up and change into clean, dry clothes. Luna didn't have any clothes with her that were her own, so she ended up having to borrow from Hermione. The clothes were long on her petite frame, but Luna being Luna, didn't complain and was profusely grateful.

After they were refreshed and clean, Luna, Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way downstairs where Bill and Fleur were finishing putting out a spread of food and tea on the kitchen table.

"Where are we?" Ron asked.

"My mother had an aunt who married an Englishman." Fleur started, her French accent not as strong as it had been. "This cottage was where they lived until she died. She left it to me, and now with the war, I've been letting the Order of the Phoenix use it as a safe house."

"We are thankful that you are doing so." Hermione replied. "Is that how Dobby knew where to bring us?"

"Oh yes, he stayed here with us for a while before the Order sent him to another safe house. He must've been sent from that safe house to collect you." Bill answered Hermione's question.

"I want to bury him without the use of magic. Would it be okay to bury him on the bluff?" Asked Harry.

"Absolutely Harry. Whatever you need to do, go right ahead." Bill replied.

The group sat at the table, and the four companions picked at the food in front of them. Hermione was too busy sucking down warm tea to eat much. She felt cold from the inside out, and she was hoping the tea would help. Suddenly, there was a strange noise coming from an ancient looking radio. It was a full size radio that was probably almost as tall as Luna. It was pushed up against a wall opposite a fireplace in between two very comfortable looking armchairs.

"That'd be an Order broadcast coming through. You're welcome to listen in." Fleur told the group when Bill had instantly got up and left them upon hearing the noise.

Immediately Harry, Ron, and Hermione got up and went out to hear the broadcast while Luna and Fleur remained at the table. After about a minute waiting, Lupin's voice came through the speakers clearly and started talking about the weather and headlines. All of it sounded unimportant to the friends' ears, however Bill was nodding and taking notes with a quill. At the end of the broadcast Lupin bade everyone a good night and the radio was silent once more.

"What was that all about?" Harry asked, impatience coloring his voice.

"We have to be careful Harry, Voldemort and his followers can pick up the broadcast if they so choose. The Death Eater attacks on muggles are getting worse, and they're not even trying to be discrete any longer. Certain members are setting up portkeys for muggles around the country to hopefully save as many as they can. It's as much of an evacuation as we can get with as short of time as we have to do it in." Bill explained calmly.

"Lovely." Hermione replied with a shiver.

"Bill, how is mum and everyone? They haven't hit the list of the missing have they?" Asked Ron worriedly.

"They're safe for now. Ginny was sent to Hogwarts to divert suspicion, and the rest of the family is scattered in different Order safe houses." Bill replied.

Ron breathed a sigh of relief. He'd spent the last number of months away from his family after splitting out of Bill and Fleur's wedding because it was attacked by Death Eaters. His constant companion was the fear that they'd be captured, and either tortured, or worse. Everyday he'd carried a small radio listening to the list of the missing hoping he didn't hear any one of his family members' names. Hearing Bill say they were all right, and that they were safe for now was the best thing he'd heard in a long time.

The friends spent in whole, about an hour after the broadcast catching up with Bill and Fleur, before exhaustion took over and forced them to turn in for the night. The decision was made to bury Dobby first thing in the morning, on the bluff looking over the sea, sans magic.

As the sun broke over the horizon, Harry carried Dobby out to the bluff where he proceeded to dig a grave for his friend. He thought about the enchanted bludger from second year that Dobby had used to try and injure himself, so that he'd be away from the dangers at Hogwarts that year, he thought about the happiness the house elf expressed when he'd tricked Lucius Malfoy into freeing Dobby by presenting him with his own sock, he thought back to how Dobby helped Kreatcher find the thief who broke into Grimmauld place and stole then sold a horcrux. So many memories clamored for attention in Harry's mind while he worked, the sun working its way higher into the sky. There were surprisingly few clouds for England, and Harry took that as a sign that Dobby was maybe in a better place. He was nearly done when everyone from the cottage with the exception of Griphook and Ollivander crested the hill to pay their respects.

No one said anything, no words were again needed. Each stood contemplating their happy memories of Dobby while Harry finished digging the grave, then lowered the free elf into his final resting place. After a few minutes, Harry with the help of Hermione and Ron, shifted the sand over Dobby and placed some sea glass and shells to spell the name over it. The trio hugged before moving to go back to the cottage. However, when Hermione moved to go, she saw something sparkling in the distance. Instantly her defenses were up.

"There's something over there, I'm going to check it out." Hermione called to Harry and Ron.

"Is that a good idea?" Ron asked.

"I've got my wand on me Ronald." Hermione replied, rolling her eyes.

"Very well, holler if you need anything." Harry said, resuming walking.

As Hermione neared the object, she pulled her wand out of the back pocket of the jeans she was wearing. A faint noise was coming from the object which confused her momentarily until she got close enough to see what it was. A muggle had dropped their mobile phone, and it was ringing. Hermione loosened the grip she had on her wand and went over to it with every intention of just figuring out whose it was so she could return it. As soon as she picked it up though, there was a familiar tug that she wasn't expecting, that caused her grip on the wand to fail before she was off.


	2. Lost It All pt 2

**A/n: I do not own Harry Potter or Supernatural characters. They belong solely to J. K. Rowling and Eric Kripke respectively. I'm just borrowing them.**

 **Chapter title inspiration: Lost It All- Black Veil Brides**

 **Chapter 2**

Stull Cemetery, Lawrence, Kansas

Hermione, who was not expecting the cell phone to have been a portkey, landed less than gracefully on her back, hard. Looking around she noticed she fell into a grave yard. The stones were unimpressive and small, and the one closest to her that she could see, the writing was eroded enough that she could barely make out the name of the person and the years they were born and died. Taking stock, she laid there for a moment before testing her limbs for injury. When no pain, other than her injured forearm registered, she rolled over and pushed herself into a standing position. Turning slowly, she surveyed the area around her. She was definitely in a cemetery, and she was on a hill. It overlooked a lower part of the cemetery where there were barely any gravestones, and the ones that were there looked newer.

She was shocked to see two men in that part of the cemetery. One was really tall and dark haired, and the other shorter with more of a sandy colored hair. Their body language screamed aggression. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she knew it wasn't pleasantries being exchanged. In fact, the two looked like they were going to start throwing punches soon. As much as she wanted answers to where she was, she figured it was best to let the men get their fighting done before she marched down there, demanding answers from them. Leaning against a nearby tree, she settled in just to make sure neither man killed the other.

Immediately she heard the sound of a car engine. It sounded like it was nearby, so Hermione looked around to see where it was. Maybe the driver would be able to tell her where she was, and possibly break up the fight that was looking more and more like it was going to happen. Just as she was about to stand up, a shiny black, older looking car pulled up in front of the two angry men and stopped about a foot from where they were standing. A man got out of the car and started talking to the two men. It was obvious to her that they all knew each other. Taking her seat back under the tree, she took stock of the newest member of the group gathering in the field below her. The driver of the pretty car was not as tall as the tallest guy, but not as short as the other who was already there when she'd gotten there. He also had hair color that was a lighter brown than the tall one, but darker hair than the short one.

He held out a hand towards the shorter, lighter haired man, and addressed the tallest in the group. She couldn't make out what he was saying, but she could hear his voice floating on the slight breeze that was starting. His voice sounded desperate and sad, and Hermione felt bad for him for some reason. His body language was less aggressive than the other males. In the middle of the arguing that looked like it was taking place, a man in a suit and trench coat suddenly appeared. He appeared in the time it took Hermione to blink, so she was thinking wizard instantly. However, she didn't know of any wizards who wore suits and trench coats. She watched the unknown wizard light a cloth sticking out of a bottle before his clear yell floated to her ears:

"Hey assbutt!" Before he hefted it towards the shortest man.

The man burst into flames and screamed before disappearing into thin air. Things were most definitely getting weird to Hermione who was frantically starting to search herself for her wand. If this was a wizard fight she was going to need to protect herself, especially if they discovered she was there, however, she wasn't finding the wooden extension of her arm and hand. In her panic, she nearly missed the mysterious trench coat wearing wizard exploding into a rain of blood and meat. However, she had seen it, and it nearly made her violently ill. She'd never seen anything like it before, and no one was holding a wand so this was strange magic to her. She eased herself behind the tree where she'd hopefully remained undetected by the men.

Peeking out from behind the tree, she watched as another vehicle pulled into the area, a truck that an older man exited, and stared at the two men who were now talking to each other. The tallest of them started moving to the one Hermione had dubbed the pretty car's driver. She watched him grab the driver's coat, and throw him back onto the car's wind shied, hard. The older man shot a gun at the tallest man, twice, but it didn't seem to be working. Suddenly there was a crack that split the air, and the older man fell to the ground, dead, next to his truck. Hermione clamped a hand over her mouth to prevent any noise from escaping her. She was too shocked at the events taking place before her very eyes. This definitely wasn't a wizard fight, but it wasn't a muggle fight either.

She didn't know what kind of fight it was, just that it was dangerous. The tall guy then started punching the driver of the shiny black car. Oddly, the guy who was the punching bag shook his head, he wasn't even putting up a fight. As she watched, she found herself flinching every time the guy got hit in the face. When she saw the bruises form, and the blood, and the swelling coming up, it brought tears to her eyes. Pressing her hand harder to her mouth, Hermione kept her eyes peeled on the two men. It was like watching a train wreck, but one she couldn't look away from.

Eventually, the taller man who was there when she'd gotten there, grabbed the other by the jacket and pulled his fist back for another punch, but instead of another blow, the dark haired man seemed to freeze in place. For Hermione, time stood still watching both guys, one against the side of his car kneeling in the grass, and the other standing over him. As suddenly as they froze, the taller man unclenched his fist slowly, then stumbled backward as if he'd just realized what he was doing. As this was happening, the guy being used as a punching bag, slid from a kneeling position to a sitting one, leaning against the rear passenger tire of his car. The two men spoke to each other before the tall guy pulled something shiny from his pocket. He threw it into a field a short distance away and yelled some words in a language Hermione had never heard before. The ground opened up into a gaping hole. The short guy from before appeared again in the field and addressed the opener of the hole. She couldn't hear what they were saying as a loud whooshing from the open spot on the ground, was filling the entire cemetery. The tall and short men grappled for the other before both went falling into the hole in the ground. Immediately it closed, with a flash of light, leaving no sign of ever having been there except for the shiny object left on the now solid ground of the field.

Everything was still as Hermione waited and watched for something to happen. The very beat up driver of the black car just sat, his back against said car, staring at the place where the hole had been. When nothing happened, Hermione sprinted down the hill towards the man. She didn't know what she was going to do, she couldn't exactly heal him without a wand or potions, but she at least should see if there was anything she could do.

Her heart was racing, and hair was flying out behind her as she ran, hoping against all hope that the man would be all right and not dying. She reached him and fell on her knees beside him in the grass. There were tears falling from the eye that wasn't swollen shut, and he was muttering something about someone named "Sammy".

Hermione wasn't at all sure he even was aware of her presence beside him. He just kept staring at the ground where the hole was, muttering, and crying.

"Are you okay? Is there anything I can do? Anyone I can call?" She asked him, desperation to do something to ease this man's pain saturating her voice.

"He's gone. Sammy. He's just gone." The man said.

Not knowing what to say, Hermione just kneeled next to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. She was no stranger to loss. "I'm sorry for your loss sir." Her voice was small.

Suddenly there were footsteps nearby. The mysterious trench coat wearing wizard was walking towards them with measured footsteps. He approached and pressed two fingers to the broken man beside her. Instantly his face returned to normal. There were no more bruising, bleeding, or swelling. Hermione gasped in a breath and stumbled backward as the man's astonished green eyes flew first to the trench coat wearing wizard, then to her.

Standing, he asked the trench coat wearing wizard: "Cas? You're alive?"

"I'm better than that." The man now identified as Cas, replied.

"Cas, are you God?" The now healed man asked.

"That's a nice compliment, but no. Although, I do believe he brought me back." Cas replied kindly. "New and improved." He started to walk away from them.

"Who are you?" Dean asked her, his eyes betraying the wary feeling he had about a complete stranger being around to have witnessed what just went down.

"My name is Hermione Granger, and I have no idea where I am." Hermione replied pushing some hair away from her face.

At that moment, Cas walked around the car followed by the older man that had been there for the fight. She was sure both Cas and the older gentleman had been dead, killed before her eyes, but maybe she'd been seeing things. He exchanged a look with the younger man standing over her, then older gentleman, noticed Hermione still kneeling next to the Impala. "Who's this?" He asked Dean gruffly.

"She says her name is Hermione, and that she has no idea where she is." Dean replied with a shrug.

Cas, who'd been silent and watching everything going on was now looking at her, his head cocked slightly to the right, a quizzical look on his face.

"Cas, can you sense if there's anything to be worried about?" Dean asked the man. The question made no sense whatsoever to Hermione, who remained silent as the three men regarded her.

"There's nothing to worry about Dean, she's safe." Cas said after a moment of silence.

"How did you get here?" The older, formerly dead man asked, squinting at her.

Hermione quickly scanned her brain for something she could tell them without weirding them out. If she told them how she'd actually gotten there, they'd probably have her committed somewhere. "I was kidnapped. I managed to get away from the guy, but I don't know where I am."

"Well sweetheart, from the sounds of your accent, you're a long way from home. My name is Dean, and that guy there is Bobby. The one in the trench coat here is Castiel." Dean commented, squatting on his heels in front of her.

"I know we were on a plane at one point, but I barely remember it." She replied looking at her hands.

"We should take her back to my place and sort her out there." Bobby said quietly to Dean.

"I suppose I'm going to return to heaven." Cas told Dean, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Heaven?" Dean asked, rising to stand.

"With Michael in the cage, I'm sure it's total anarchy up there." Castiel replied.

"So what, you're the new sheriff in town?" Dean asked, quirking a brow at him.

He gave a small laugh. "I like that, yeah, I suppose I am."

"Wow, God gives you a brand new shiny set of wings, and suddenly you're his bitch again." Dean said, his voice going slightly hard. Hermione quirked a brow. This discussion was not making any sense to her whatsoever.

"I don't know what God wants. I don't know if he'll even return. It just seems like the right thing to do." Castiel tried explaining.

"Well if you do see him, you tell him I'm coming for him next." Dean said in the same hard voice.

"You're angry." The man observed with a confused look on his face.

"That's an understatement." Was the harsh reply.

"He helped." Castiel said, to which Dean scoffed. "Maybe even more than we realize."

"That's easy for you to say, he brought you back, but what about Sam? What about me, huh? Where's my grand prize? All I got was my brother in a hole." Dean replied, angrier than before.

"You got what you asked for, Dean. No paradise, no hell, just more of the same." Cas replied very matter-of-factly. "I mean it Dean, what would you rather have? Peace or freedom?"

Then he disappeared before their eyes. Dean blinked a couple of times before rolling his eyes at the wizard's behavior.

"What was that?" Hermione asked looking back and forth between Dean and Bobby, hoping she didn't give away that she knew that he had aparated.

"I'll explain everything later. Come on sweetheart, we're going for a ride." Dean replied, holding out a hand to help the girl still kneeling in the same place beside his car to stand.


	3. Nobody's Hero

**A/n: I still don't own the Harry Potter or Supernatural characters. They belong to their creators, J. K. Rowling and Eric Kripke. I'm just playing with them.**

 **Chapter title inspiration: Nobody's Hero- Black Veil Brides**

 **Chapter 3**

The Impala roared down the roads that would lead Dean, and the mystery to him that was Hermione, to Bobby's in South Dakota. Neither spoke to the other, each content to stay locked in their own minds, with their own thoughts. In fact, the only sound that could be heard in the car, other than the roar of the engine, was the song Paradise City by Guns-N-Roses.

Hermione sat stiffly, as close to the passenger door to the Impala as she could. She didn't know who this man was, or even where she was for that matter. The most she'd been able to deduce was that she was definitely in America, judging by the accents of the people she'd already met. The most alarming thing she'd discovered while under the tree watching the series of strange events that she'd had, was that her wand was missing. She'd been holding onto it when she'd went to check out what had turned out to be a ringing cell phone apparently abandoned near the beach. The best she could figure is that she must have dropped it.

Suddenly, she remembered the Order broadcast from the previous night, and what Bill had told them about certain members of the Order setting up portkeys for muggles to find to hopefully get them out of England. She must have stumbled on one that was meant for any muggles that happened to live within the vicinity of Bill and Fleur's cottage safe house. Hermione gave herself a mental kick, touching the muggle cell phone had been a mistake of epic proportions. She was supposed to be the brightest witch of her age, and yet, here she'd fallen prey to a portkey that had dropped her somewhere in America, with a strange man, with no wand, and no safe way to return to England where she was really needed.

Her head bowed with the knowledge that she had just screwed her friends over in the war against Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters, when her eyes landed on the sleeves of the pink hoodie she was wearing. Blood was staining the arm sleeve on the left which had her moving her other hand to cover it. With all the stress, and the physicality of traveling via portkey, the "mudblood" carved into her arm must have started bleeding again. Tears pricked the back of Hermione's eyes when she thought back to Malfoy Manner. She scanned the passing view from the car, thinking it a great deal different than where she'd been tortured only a little over 24 hours prior.

Dean watched the young woman out of the corner of his eye as he drove. Though the grief of losing the younger brother he'd practically raised, was so strong it threatened to crush him, he needed to get to the bottom of who this girl was, why she had been at the cemetery, and how on earth he was going to get her back to where she came from, so he could keep his promise to Sam. His promise to go to Lisa and Ben and live a normal "apple pie" life.

Her posture was stiff, like she couldn't get comfortable, but her eyes were haunted. A look he knew well, and saw often in his line of work. He wondered what all had happened to the girl to give her that look. She looked young enough where he'd have thought she should be unknowing of things bad enough to haunt a person. Not knowing what to say to her, he gripped the steering wheel tighter and pressed down a little harder on the gas pedal.

A way down the road, he stopped at a gas station to fill Baby and let Hermione do her thing. He was pleasantly surprised she didn't linger or anything. She darted quickly straight to the bathroom, and back to the car where she retook her seat as close to the door as she could get without leaning on it. With a sigh and a grunt, Dean replaced the gas cap on Baby and got back behind in behind the steering wheel, though he didn't immediately start the car.

"Can I just ask you one thing before we head on the road again?" He asked the girl.

"You can ask me anything." Hermione replied, her eyes flashing quickly to Dean's.

"Is there family that I need to contact to let them know you're safe?" He asked, taking in the depth of her brown eyes.

"No, no one is looking for me." She replied knowing darn well that Ron and Harry would want to try finding her, but that it would be too dangerous for all involved for them to do much searching for her. The smart thing for them to do, is to look for her following the war, after Lord Voldemort had been defeated once and for all. On the other hand, her parents didn't know she existed, thanks to her skills in memory charms.

"Why not?" Dean asked taken aback. He thought for sure this girl would have family and friends scouring the planet for her.

"Long story." Hermione told him gently, her lips forming a slight crooked smile.

Dean nodded once at her to acknowledge he understood what she was telling him with those two seemingly little words. The haunted look in her eyes had increased exponentially with her answer, despite the ever slight lift to the left corner of her mouth. He turned the key in the ignition, and Baby roared to life once again. The silence between the two was less awkward this time when they took off down the road, and Hermione's posture was less stiff than it had been. In fact, she was starting to relax around Dean, which for him not being Harry or Ron, was a new experience for her. He didn't pressure her to talk about anything, he took her at her word when she'd given him long story for an answer. In fact, she'd noted in his eyes an understanding as soon as the words were out of her mouth.

She knew he'd seen a lot of weird in the field they had left, but he was taking it fairly in stride. She wondered if it was merely normal for him. She wondered if he was an American wizard who could help her get home. She figured they were headed somewhere where they'd have a chance to talk, and she could subtly figure out whether he was a wizard, and if not, what he was that would have him reacting better to magical occurrences than he ought to have. If she were being truly honest with herself, she'd even seen weirder things in that field, than even what she'd seen being a part of the wizarding world back home in England.

Thinking about home caused a pang in her heart. She had already decided she wouldn't be home before Voldemort was defeated, so she hoped she had a home to go back to someday. Along with home came the pang in her heart from not having her wand. She was barely able to perform a few spells without her wand. She couldn't apparate or floo, because both forms of wizarding transportation were watched and monitored by the taken over Ministry of Magic. Finding a broom to ride would take a while, she wasn't a fan of flying, and the actual flight itself would take forever. Brightest witch of her age, not really she thought to herself. She was in too much of a pickle currently to be considered by that particular title.

Dean sensed that she was less stiff in her seat and was becoming more comfortable riding in his car. He wasn't sure why, but under the circumstances, that brought him a sliver of something that used to resemble pride. The girl still looked sad and haunted, but less like she was going to bolt the second the car stopped. The road seemed endless to him, and he was hoping to be to Bobby's by morning. He still had a number of hours to go, and the sun was setting quickly. He took a quick glance at the watch on his wrist and noted that it was about the time normal people ate. He figured he should probably feed his passenger. The next turn off with a sign pointing towards a town, he took, where he promptly found a diner and parked.

"What are we doing?" Hermione asked, her spine stiffening again. Her hand automatically starting for her back pocket, before she remembered she didn't have what she was reaching for anyway.

"Food. I figure you've got to be hungry, we've been on the road for a few hours now, and I haven't seen you eat anything." Dean replied very matter-of-factly.

"Oh, I don't have any money on me." Hermione replied linking her fingers together in front of her.

"I've got it sweetheart. Let's get some grub and we can just talk." Dean told her, trying not to be so gruff that he scared her.

"Okay, if you insist." She replied giving him a soft, tentative smile, before yanking the handle that let her out of the car.

Dean's brain forced him to accept the fact that he found her small smile pretty. It lessened the heavier emotions he saw swimming in her eyes every time he looked at her. Suddenly, he found himself not quite ready to take off as soon as he got to Bobby's. Maybe he'd stick around Bobby's while Hermione figured out what she wanted to do since getting away from the kidnapper she'd escaped from. Maybe Bobby would insist that she stay at Singer Salvage for a while so they could protect her, that is if her kidnapper came back for her.

Dean stayed a couple of steps behind Hermione all of the way into the diner, constantly looking around for any signs of anything off. He was in hunter mode all of the time, and if he was going to keep his promise to Sam, he had to try and turn that off, however, he wasn't going to let his guard down quite yet. He got them a table and sat across from Hermione, noting how as soon as she sat she did so on her hands.

"You do that often?" He asked her before his brain could filter the question into something better to have asked her.

"What do you mean?" Hermione replied cocking her head to the side and frowning.

"I don't think I've ever seen anyone sit on their hands before. It looks uncomfortable." Dean replied giving her a gentle smile to hopefully ease any nerves she had about talking to him.

"Oh, I guess I didn't realize I did." Hermione replied a comely shade of red briefly coloring her cheeks, as well as the tops of her ears. Slowly she pulled her hands out from underneath her and folded them in her lap. She knew why she'd sat on her hands. It was a combination of habit, from making sure she didn't sit on her wand and break it, and the desire for Dean not to see the blood stain on her sleeve and ask her about it. The blood stain had gotten larger in size since she discovered that there was one, only now the fabric was sticking to the skin of her forearm.

"So you said your name is Hermione?" Dean asked. When she nodded he continued. "How did your parents come up with that name?"

"My parents were teachers, and were big into Greek mythology. My name is Greek; it means: well born. It's also supposed to be the name of the daughter born to Helen of Troy, and her first husband Menelaus of Sparta." Hermione replied.

"Wow, interesting." Dean said, impressed with the young woman across from him.

"Where did your mom get the name Dean?" Hermione asked.

"That's a very long story meant for a different day." Dean said wryly. He wasn't about to admit he was named after his maternal grandmother.

"Fair enough." Hermione conceded, relaxing back against the padded seating of the booth they were occupying.

"Where are you from?" Dean asked.

"London, England. You?" She replied.

"Actually my younger brother and I were born in the same town where the cemetery was. Lawrence, Kansas." He said.

"Oh." Hermione said.

He was the tall guy who fell into the hole at the cemetery." Dean replied.

"You mean Sammy? I heard you say something to Castiel about getting your brother in a hole" She responded gently, not wanting to push him into giving her more information than he was ready to.

"How did you know?" Dean countered astonished that she would even know Sam's name. Neither Cas, Bobby, nor himself had ever referred to Sam by name in front of her, he was sure.

"When I first came over to you, at the cemetery, you kept saying how Sammy was gone." Hermione replied shrugging her shoulders.

"Really?" Dean asked. "I guess I didn't realize I was saying anything."

"It's okay, you were injured and grieving, I get it. Trust me." Hermione replied reaching over carefully with her right hand to cover Dean's on the table.


	4. Savior

**A/n: J. K. Rowling nor Eric Kripke am I, therefore I do not own these wonderful characters.**

 **Chapter title inspiration: Savior- Rise Against**

 **Chapter 4**

Bill and Fleur's Cottage, somewhere England

Harry and Ron waited rather impatiently inside the cottage while Hermione went to check out whatever it was that had caught her eye. They paced and paced in front of the door, while Luna talked about how a chime made of seashells, was considered by muggles to keep evil out, to whoever might be listening. After many moments had passed, and Luna had finished the monologue that neither had listened to, Harry's uneasiness grew to the point where he had to go check on his friend.

Without a word, he slipped out the front door motioning for Ron to stay inside, which of course he didn't. Both boys made their way up the hill where they had seen Hermione head off. There was no sign of her anywhere, which could either be okay or really bad. Trudging down a path, wands drawn, they looked everywhere. As they crested the hill, they could see other cottages down a way, and more of the beach they had landed on the prior evening, but no Hermione.

Harry couldn't swallow the panic now bubbling up his throat. He did not have a good feeling about this at all. It wasn't like Hermione, knowing the dangers, to wander off alone. Even if she did have her wand. Looking down at his feet, he noticed something a short way to his right. It looked like a wand. Moving toward it, he reached out to pull some of the sparse grass away from it so he could get a decent look. It was Hermione's wand!

"I don't like this." Ron said, walking back toward Harry having scouted the path that led towards the other cottages on the beach.

"I found her wand." Harry said from his place, holding it aloft so Ron could see it.

"It's definitely not like Hermione to have left her wand." Ron said, his eyes growing large at the sight of her wand in Harry's hand.

"No it's not. If her wand's here, and she's not, somethings up. We should go tell Bill and the others." Harry said, rejoining Ron on the path where they rushed towards the cottage.

Bursting through the front door, everyone turned to look at the boys. "Hermione's missing, and she's missing her wand!" Ron burst out before Harry even got the chance to catch his breath. "We have to find her!" Ron continued a frantic look etched on his face.

"We will find her. Let me see if a member of the Order can get a message to someone. See if they know whether the Death Eaters got her." Bill said, moving towards the radio.

"Maybe she found a stray portkey?" Luna asked in her usual, breathy tone.

"I just hope wherever she is, that she's safe." Harry finally added to the conversation.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States

Dean was exhausted by the time he pulled into Singer Salvage. After their pleasant dinner, and superficial conversation at the diner, he and Hermione hit the road, and didn't stop until morning. She even elected to stay awake with him while he drove, which was a welcome change for him. Sam would try staying awake with him on long trips. That is, if Dean didn't feel he could stop driving for the night before reaching their next case, but in the end he always fell asleep. Hermione impressed him, she'd stayed awake all night, and brushed him off every time he'd tried to insist that she rest.

They didn't talk a lot, mostly just listened to the tapes Dean kept in the car. Guns-N-Roses, AC/DC, the typical 80's rock that he was raised listening to. There were a few times she asked him to turn the volume up so she could hear a song better, and he always obliged. The smile he'd get every time he did so made it all strangely worth it. A couple of times he caught her out of the corner of his eye bopping her head along with the music, as if she were enjoying it. He didn't know of a lot of females that enjoyed the 80's hairband rock anymore, and finding one who bopped her head to it seemed like a one in a million find.

The first thing Dean noticed when he parked the Impala in Singer Salvage, was that Bobby had beaten them there. His truck was parked off to the side. He knew what was coming, but he also knew it had to be done, so he bit his tongue before he could warn Hermione. The pair exited the car and walked into the ramshackle house before them.

"Bobby!" Dean called out after the screen door slammed behind them.

"In here idjit." Came the coarse reply from the room to the right, where they found Bobby, sitting on the sofa, a cup of holy water ready in a silver cup for Hermione.

The pair entered the living room and sat in the two chairs adjacent the couch. "Water?" Bobby asked Hermione.

"Yes, thank you." Hermione replied.

Bobby nodded and gestured to the cup on the table between them. Hermione picked the cup up and took a large sip from it. She didn't realize quite how thirsty she was until the liquid touched her tongue. Before she was fully aware, she'd finished the water. She set the cup back on the table and smiled at the men who were watching her carefully.

"Well, I guess that answers that, doesn't it?" Bobby asked Dean, picking up the cup to take it to the kitchen.

"What answers what?" Hermione asked.

"That was holy water in a silver cup. We had to make sure you are human." Dean said shifting in his seat.

"Why wouldn't I be human?" Hermione asked.

"Hermione, my brother and I were hunters. Bobby is a hunter. We track down, and kill evil supernatural beings." Dean explained. "Because of our line of work, there's some pretty nasty stuff after us all of the time, and with you just popping up in the cemetery when everything was going down there, well, we had to be sure."

Hermione listened, but she wasn't sure what he was saying really made much sense. The only supernatural beings she was aware existed, were those that existed within the wizarding world. Finally, the word "hunter" registered, and an alarm in her head started blaring at her that he was dangerous. Only she would have been portkeyed out of England to America into the hands of hunters. Hunters who, before now, had been merely a legend in England. Scary stories that teen witches and wizards told each other at sleepovers.

Hermione's thoughts turned frantic as to how she was going to get out of this house, and away from these men who were a danger to her. It was altogether likely that as soon as she introduced herself as a witch, she wouldn't get a chance to explain that she wasn't evil. Dean might have paused before killing her, but Bobby seemed like the type to shoot first, ask questions later.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked quietly, watching the young woman sift around in her seat. He sensed what he'd said made her uncomfortable, but that was a normal reaction for anyone to have when they hear about hunters, and the supernatural world being real.

"I'll be fine." Hermione replied, trying to keep her voice from relaying the fear she had that she would be killed by his own hands.

"If you're scared, you should be. However, Bobby and I will do our damndest to protect you." Dean said with conviction.

"I appreciate it." Hermione said lifting her head and pasting on a small smile.

At that moment, Bobby came back in from the kitchen, a necklace swaying from his fingers. "While you're here, you'll need to wear this." The older hunter told Hermione as he held it out toward her.

She took it from him, examining the pendant on the chain. "What's this?" She asked, genuinely curious.

"It is pure silver, which means nothing non-human will be able to touch it, and the pendant is in a symbol that will prevent you from being possessed by a demon." Bobby explained before Dean could even open his mouth.

Hermione worked the clasp and brought it around her neck to put it on. What she didn't realize is this action caused the bloodstain on her hoodie to become visible to both men who gasped audibly.

"What the hell?" Dean roared as he grabbed her left wrist in his hand.

Panic rose in Hermione's chest at the touch. It was unfamiliar, and after being tortured, she wasn't sure she was ready to be touched by anyone who wasn't Harry or Ron. "It's n-nothing." She stammered, trying to pull her wrist out of Dean's grasp before he exposed the terrible word carved into the skin of her arm.

"That sure as hell ain't nothing Hermione." Dean said pointing at the stain. He gently tried pulling the fabric back to expose her injury, but discovered the blood had dried leaving the material sticking to her skin. This wasn't a good sign, and he knew it. He knew what that typically meant for a person who was injured to the point they were bleeding.

"Bobby it's stuck to her skin." Dean said lowly.

"Balls!" Bobby muttered. "I'll get you the medical kit." He told Dean before leaving the room. If Bobby had to venture a guess based on the size of the bloodstain, whatever the injury was underneath the material was a good size. _What kind of monster was she kidnapped by?_ He wondered as he grabbed the medical kit to take to Dean.

Meanwhile, the pair had moved to Bobby's kitchen, where Dean was warming water to help loosen the fabric from the dried blood and her skin. He was formulating a plan of action to get at whatever had been bleeding, when Bobby entered and set the medical kit next to where he was standing. He grunted some sort of acknowledgement, but otherwise kept to his planning. Hermione wasn't talking. She'd tried protesting, but Dean wouldn't hear of it. She was now being a little over careful not to anger the dangerous hunters she now found herself lodging with. It wouldn't do her friends any good if they found a way to get her home to help with the war if she was already dead.

"What else can I do to help?" Bobby asked Dean.

"Dad's bag is in the trunk of the Impala; I'm going to need it. Once she's bandaged, she's going to need something to put on. She can't wear that sweatshirt. I'm pretty damn sure it's ruined" Dean replied without looking up.

"Gotcha." Bobby said moving instantaneously.

When he was happy with the water temp, Dean grabbed a bowl for the water and brought everything he'd need to the table where Hermione was sitting anxiously. He took her wrist gently in his hand again, and examined the blood stain. It covered more than half of the lower part of the sleeve. Whatever her injury was, it was on the forearm, and definitely a good sized one for sure.

First he rolled the cuff of the sleeve as far as it would go, then he dabbed the warm water on the stain until it was barely wet. Testing the stickiness of the fabric to the skin, he gave a couple of small, gentle tugs. Feeling that it was already slightly looser, he considered what he should do next.

"Okay, I'm going to have to cut the sleeve around the stain. It would be easier to get the fabric unstuck from your skin if I'm working with a smaller amount of it." Dean told her.

"That's fine." Hermione said looking him right in the eye.

"Okay, well, you can borrow a shirt of mine to wear, since the sweatshirt will be ruined." Dean offered after clearing his throat.

"That would be lovely, thank you." Hermione replied sincerely.

Dean noted the ever slight blush touch her cheeks and ears again. It wasn't as brilliant a pink as when he'd made her blush before, however, it was still flattering on her features. The fact he'd noticed both scared him, and jump started something resembling guilt. Guilt, because he shouldn't be noticing these things so soon after Sam had been locked in the cage with Lucifer and Michael. Not to mention, when he was supposed to be keeping his promise to go back to live with Lisa and Ben. With a sigh, Dean focused his attention to tending Hermione's injury, and pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind for the time being.


	5. Come Clean

**A/n: Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, Supernatural characters belong to Eric Kripke, none of them belong to me.**

 **Chapter title inspiration: Come Clean- Hilary Duff**

 **Chapter 5**

Hermione took a deep breath as Dean started cutting the fabric of her sweatshirt around the bloodstain. She watched intently, not saying anything. Her mind was a jumble, thinking about what she was going to tell him about what was carved into her arm. It wasn't as if he was going to know what a "mudblood" was, and she didn't relish the thought of having him kill her once he heard she was a witch. Once he exposed what was under the cloth and blood, he was most likely going to be demanding explanations, which she wouldn't blame him for wanting. He was taking time out of his life to tend to her, and to Hermione's way of thinking, giving him some sort of explanation, was just a step in repaying his kindness.

Once the blood stained cloth was completely separated from the rest of the sleeve, Dean slid the remainder of her sleeve up past the elbow so it was out of his way. Dipping some gauze into the warm water, he paused.

"This may hurt a little." He warned.

"I can handle it. I'm sure it won't hurt nearly as bad as what happened in the first place." Hermione told him, steeling herself.

He made a noise of acknowledgement before working on dampening the stained fabric further. Hermione made no noise indicating that she was in pain, nor did she try to pull her arm out of his grasp. Either she had a very high pain tolerance, or the infection he had been sure was just starting had progressed further than his original quick assessment. When he was happy that the patch of fabric sticking to her arm was damp enough, he set aside the water, and went to work trying to peel it off.

Grabbing a pair of tweezers, he started gently coaxing the fabric away from skin in the corner closest to him. There was a little resistance, but not nearly as much as before he'd dampened the area. Adjusting her arm so it was angled downward, he applied a slight amount more pressure to his pull with the tweezers. The fabric lifted straight up from the wound fairly easily. When blood started to trickle down toward Hermione's hand, Dean ceased lifting the fabric to press clean, dry gauze to the now partially exposed wound. Enough was exposed that he knew some word had been carved into her arm, and that it was made by some kind of blade. As he exposed more and more of the wound, the edges of her skin around the cuts were smooth indicating the blade hadn't been serrated. The discovery had him clenching his jaw in anger.

 _Why would someone do this? Why would someone do this to a young woman? What kind of monster was this guy?_

The angry questions kept swirling around his mind while he worked slowly and methodically. He was damn ready to take on whatever monster had kidnapped this poor woman. No one should ever have to go through something like that. A stab of guilt shot through Dean's heart again when he remembered that he had inflicted worse pain than this during his tour in hell. Cursing Alistair to rot, he shoved aside all thoughts of that horrible time.

After what seemed like forever to Hermione, the "mudblood" on her arm was completely exposed. Dean was setting aside the stained portion of fabric while he pressed clean gauze to the wound. He lifted slightly to assess the damage. Even though it hurt like a son of a bitch, Hermione didn't flinch or anything. It didn't hurt nearly as bad as when Bellatrix had carved it into her arm, which made this pain not such a big deal. There had been no sound in the kitchen other than breathing, but when the word was fully exposed to the air, Bobby's quick, heavy footsteps, startled the pair sitting at the kitchen table.

"What's this mean?" Dean asked, forcing his voice to be somewhat calm and steady.

"Well…" Hermione started looking at her lap. She'd been unsuccessful in thinking up an excuse to give him. All she wanted was to be able to tell this man the truth. She didn't know why, but she wanted him to know who she really is. Possible consequences be damned.

"What happened to you?" Dean tried asking again, his voice slightly less calm and steady as it had been with the first question.

"Dean, I need a minute with our guest." Bobby's gruff voice said from the kitchen doorway.

"What?" Dean asked, turning in his chair to face the older hunter.

"I need to talk to Hermione. Alone. Just for a minute." Bobby replied.

"Okay…" Dean said warily.

Dean stood, casting an indecipherable look at Hermione, who was still sitting, head bowed at the kitchen table. With a sigh, he brushed briskly past Bobby and out the front door, letting the screen door close with a loud bang.

"I know what you are." Bobby said without pretense.

"How?" Hermione asked, the astonishment in her voice matching the look in her eyes as they snapped to meet Bobby's.

"Unlike that idjit out there, I read, and I know what mudblood means." Bobby replied honestly.

"Are you going to kill me?" Hermione asked, her voice becoming squeaky.

"No, I know you're not evil. I know there's a difference between you and the evil witches that get their powers from demons." The older hunter replied, his voice gruff, but not unkind.

"I'm a good witch, but back home, there's an evil wizard, he and his followers are trying to round up and kill all of the muggle born witches and wizards like me. They also want to kill my best friend Harry because he's the only one who can kill the dark lord." Hermione rushed out. "I accidentally came upon a portkey that dropped me in that bloody cemetery, and now, I don't know how to get home safely to help my friends in the war."

"That's a lot to take in girlie." Bobby replied. "Let me get this straight: there's a wizard war going on and you just happened to accidentally get transported out of it?"

"Basically." Hermione told him.

"Why are there stray portkeys around anyway?" Asked Bobby.

"They're trying to get non-magic folk out of England. The evil wizard and his followers are going after anyone who isn't magic, as well as those of us who are but don't have magical families. They're not discriminating anymore, or even being discrete about it." Hermione replied.

"Makes sense." Bobby muttered after a second of contemplation. "We need to fill Dean in so we can help you get home again."

"He's not going to shoot me is he?" Hermione asked, fear drenching every word she said.

"No, not once he's got the facts." Bobby said. "Let me get you temporarily bandaged, and we'll go talk to him."

Bobby wrapped her arm sloppily with gauze, and secured it with medical tape. He then gave her a couple of aspirin. "What's this for?" Hermione asked, not at all sure she should take the two little white pills.

"They're for the pain. Nothing strong enough to make you loopy, but enough to at least take the edge off. Dean'll probably need to give you a shot to start fighting the infection you got going on in the wound. He's already aware you got it." Bobby said while helping Hermione to stand.

"Thank you Bobby." Hermione said sincerely. For the first time since she found out Bobby and Dean were hunters, she felt fully relaxed and safe.

"Let's go let the idjit off the hook." Bobby said with a wink.

Meanwhile, Dean had been sitting on the hood of his Impala. His mind was turning over all of the possibilities as to why Bobby would want to talk to Hermione alone. The possibilities were few, either Bobby had been reading Dean's body language and saw something he felt the need to tell Hermione about, was giving her the rules of the house, or the other thing Dean couldn't even bring himself to think about without considerable, uncomfortable tugging in his heart. That Hermione was something supernatural that needed to be taken care of for their safety. Glaring at the kitchen window, he strained to hear something, anything that would give him some clue as to what his father figure, and the woman they'd rescued in the graveyard were talking about.

After another few minutes of trying, and coming up with nothing to explain any of this, Hermione and Bobby came out, walking towards the Impala with measured steps. Despite her measured steps, Dean detected a slight limp that he hadn't noticed before. He observed that Bobby had done a rough bandaging job on her arm, something he should have insisted on doing better before he let Bobby kick him out. She was also still wearing that awful pink, dirty sweatshirt. Something he planned on making her remedy before demanding she get a good amount of sleep. Judging by the black circles under her eyes, the woman hadn't slept in days. The pair from the house stopped in front of Dean.

"Well, mind telling me what that was about?" Asked Dean roughly directing the question at Bobby.

"Watch your tone." Bobby reprimanded with a slight jerk of his head in Hermione's direction. She'd been taken aback by the rough tone of his voice, that had her backing up a couple of steps. She was now terrified to tell him the truth.

"I'm sorry, let me try this again, what were you two chatting about?" Dean asked, his tone more relaxed, though he felt anything but.

"Before I tell you, you're going to promise me that you won't go running straight for the arsenal." Bobby said crossing his arms over his chest.

"Just tell me, I think I'm more in control than that." Dean replied rolling his eyes.

"Dean, when's the last time you didn't shoot first, ask questions later without Sam telling you to?" Bobby asked wisely.

"Fine. I promise. Now anyone want to fill me in?" Dean replied, annoyance getting the better of him.

"I should have told you before, I'm a witch." Hermione blurted before Bobby could get even a word out.

Dean immediately pushed himself off of the hood of the car, and made for the trunk before his promise to Bobby pushed itself to the forefront of his brain.

"What do you mean you're a witch? I hunt witches." Dean replied, his back turned toward Hermione, his voice low and stone cold, like tea that had sat out for too long.

"It's not what you're thinking son." Bobby said carefully. "She ain't evil."

"Bobby, have you gone senile? Witches get their powers from demons! They're evil!" Dean insisted, turning on Bobby.

"Boy, listen and we'll explain to you how it is that she's not something you need to hunt." Bobby said calmly.

"You've got 5 seconds before I do something I may end up regretting." Dean conceded.

"I was born this way. I didn't know until I was 11 years old. I went to school to learn how to use my powers for good, and defend myself against dark witches and wizards. It's called Hogwarts, and it's in England. My friends and I are fighting a war against the darkest wizard of our age, and his followers. I accidentally got sent here, from there, after being tortured by one of the dark wizard's followers. She's the one who carved the horrid word into my arm. It means "dirty blood," and she did it because I'm the magic born child of a family who has no magic in their blood at all. I'm a muggle born." Hermione rushed out in explanation. "I know I should have told you, but I was afraid you wouldn't give me the chance to explain and just shoot me in the head."

Dean was speechless. He didn't know what to say, or how to respond. He didn't know that there was a difference in witches. The only ones he, his dad, and Sam had ever come across were evil. The information bounced around in his brain, but nothing made sense to him. There were words she used that he didn't quite understand. Hogwarts. Muggle. Even that damn mudblood word carved into the skin of her forearm. Bobby, how did he fit into the equation?

"Bobby, is this true?" Dean asked the only question he could think of.

"Yes Dean, she was born this way. When you exposed the word carved into her arm, I knew what she was. I'm familiar with the lore. I told her we needed to tell you, and that if it was explained to you right, that you wouldn't kill her." Bobby said.

"How do you do magic then?" He directed at Hermione.

"Well, I do magic with a wand, but when I accidentally tripped the portkey, I dropped it, so I don't have it on me. I can't really do anything without it, only a couple of small spells and very badly." Hermione replied, the corner of her mouth pulling up involuntarily when admitting how bad she was at doing spells without her wand.

"Like what?" Dean asked, his voice giving nothing away.

Hermione thought for a second before saying "Accio cup." The screen door banged, and the silver cup that they had given Hermione water in earlier, zoomed right into her hand.

"Okay, that was kind of cool." Bobby said gruffly.

"Anything else?" Dean asked, the corner of his mouth inching up ever so slightly.

"That's the only consistent spell I can do without my wand. I'm working on alohamora, which is a spell that unlocks doors, but I've only been successful at it a handful of times." Hermione replied with a blush.

"Well nothing too weird then. Let's get you the rest of the way fixed up, and you can tell me all about this wizarding war, your friends, and how you ended up here." Dean said slinging his arm around the woman's shoulders as they walked toward Bobby's house. He wouldn't dwell on the feeling he had having her under his arm until much later.


	6. Fix You

**A/n: I don't own these characters; they belong to their creators. I'm just borrowing them.**

 **Chapter title inspiration: Fix You- Secondhand Seranade**

 **Chapter 6**

The atmosphere in the Singer household was much less tense following the talk outside. Dean re-bandaged Hermione's dressing, after giving her a shot of a general low dose antibiotic. He explained to her that it was because her wound wasn't bandaged properly.

"Dean, maybe we should let the girl change and get some rest." Bobby suggested from the seat he'd taken at the kitchen table with Dean and Hermione.

"But I don't have anything with me." Hermione replied.

"Remember I offered you a shirt to borrow?" Dean asked, a slight note of playfulness coloring his tone.

"That's right, you did!" Hermione replied, pretending to smack her forehead with the palm of her hand.

"Are you sure you're not as senile as Bobby over there?" Dean commented, as he rifled through the canvas military bag sitting in the hallway between the kitchen and living room.

"Ha ha you idjit." Bobby threw over his shoulder.

All Hermione could do was smile at the exchange. It was nice taking a break from the heavy stuff that had been plaguing all of them since they met the day before. Dean and Bobby were downright friendly, even playful, in a gruff, unrefined way, which instead of rubbing her the wrong way, delighted. She could tell there was a bond between the hunters, one that she'd only known between her, Harry, and Ron.

For just a moment she allowed herself to wonder what the boys were up to that very moment. Were they continuing their quest to find and destroy the horcruxes? Were they putting the quest off until they could get her home to help? Had they made a mistake that landed them in the hands of Lord Voldemort? She didn't know, but she mentally made a promise to get to them as soon as she could. She was jerked from her thoughts by a heavy hand on her shoulder. A hand whose touch didn't immediately instill fear, but a kind of warmth that was foreign to her.

"Here's a shirt and a pair of my brother's sweat pants. They're going to be huge on you, but I figured they may be more comfortable than the clothes you've been wearing, well, since we met." Dean said, lowering the clothes in front of her so she could take them from his hand.

"Thank you Dean, that is very generous of you." Hermione said smiling up at him.

"You're welcome. Bathroom is at the top of the stairs, pick whichever of the two bedrooms. Get some sleep, and we can talk later." He replied, a small encouraging smile softening his harder features.

"Okay, I'll be down pretty soon. I probably won't sleep long." Hermione told him, carrying the clothes with her.

"All right." Dean replied. "Sleep as long as you want, we'll be here."

She nodded once in acknowledgement before starting the trek up the stairs. The men listened to her footsteps, and then waited for the bathroom door to close before saying anything to each other.

"So good witch huh?" Dean asked Bobby with a look.

"Did you really never do your own research?" Bobby asked leaning back in his chair.

"Sam was the one who enjoyed research. I couldn't stand it." Dean replied looking down at his hands folded on the kitchen table.

"How you doing boy?" Bobby asked him.

"Honestly, I'm just tired. I promised Sam I would stop hunting, live a normal life, but I don't know if I can do that. He doesn't want me to save him from the cage, and I that's what my instincts are telling me to do. And now I've got a good, lost, and injured witch on my hands, along with more questions than I've got answers." Dean rushed out.

"Well questions can be asked and answered later. You look plumb worn to the bone kid. You should take your own advice and rest while she does." Bobby suggested.

"I'll try and catch a few winks on the couch." Dean said standing.

"She's certainly a pretty thing." Bobby commented casually to gauge Dean.

"I suppose." Dean replied. There was no way he was going to let on to Bobby that he certainly thought she was pretty. He shouldn't have been noticing, and was sure he'd hear it from the older hunter if he had.

With a grunt of acknowledgement from Bobby, Dean left the kitchen and plopped himself down on the couch. His life had taken a dramatic turn in just over 24 hours, and he wasn't quite sure how he was going to play the hand life had dealt to him, or rather a bunch of dick angels, and Lucifer. Not to mention the extra a stray portkey, whatever that was, had crash landed in his lap. With a tangle of thoughts in his head, all vying for attention, Dean slipped into sleep with visions of Sam and Adam falling into the cage.

While the young witch and hunter slept, Bobby re-read the books he had about the type of witch Hermione was. He knew it was a very secretive community, and as a hunter, he could understand why. There were hunters in the business who wouldn't care that witches like Hermione weren't evil, that went to school to learn how to use their magic for good. He knew the type, but John was always big into doing his research before hunting something, and so did Bobby. Together they had taught Sam and Dean to do the same. Sam took to it like a bee to honey, however Dean hated research. He'd always relied on someone else doing the leg work so he could do the hunting, and get the job done.

Bobby had information on the American version of the wizarding world, but nothing whatsoever on England. He sat in his library, in his favorite straight back chair and drank back two fingers of scotch. He wondered if there was a way to get his hands on any information about the wizarding world in England, without having to thoroughly interview the young witch asleep upstairs. Maybe Dean's angel friend had some insight that he could provide. He'd have Dean ask him when he woke up, but for now, the young hunter needed his sleep. He'd driven through the night, weighed down with grief over losing the little brother he basically raised. He knew from experience how exhausting that is. Setting the lore book he'd been studying aside, he went to catch a few winks before everyone was awake again.

Dean wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep, or what had wakened him, but he woke with a start on the worn, lumpy couch Bobby had in his living room. Looking around, he could see Bobby napping in a recliner, snoring away. The light streaming through the windows indicated it was late afternoon, headed into evening. The sun was streaming through the windows on the west end of the house, creating long shadows behind the things it touched. Rubbing his eyes, a blood curdling scream rent the silence causing Dean to jump. He was immediately on his feet grabbing for the gun he'd placed on a nearby table. Gun in hand, he took the stairs two at a time. The screams kept coming, and from the sounds of things she was in the bedroom to the right, the one directly above the living room.

He threw the door open so hard it hit the wall with a loud bang. He sighted the gun, making sure there was nothing in the room, before lowering it to take in the sight of Hermione. She was screaming, though her eyes were closed. Shoving the gun into the back of his jeans, after clicking the safety back on, Dean ran over to the bed where she was thrashing around as if fighting someone, or something in her dreams. Sweat had broken out on her forehead, and tears were leaking from behind her closed eyes. Her dark brown curly hair was a tangled mess on the pillow. The sheet and blankets had been kicked off in her struggle, leaving her completely uncovered. The sweatpants were definitely oversized on her petite frame, and his shirt had ridden up to expose her completely flat, toned stomach. If she hadn't been screaming, he'd have thought her completely attractive.

Dean placed a hand on her shoulder and shook.

"Hermione!" He said loudly. When she didn't stop or even slow, he tried again. "Hermione!"

 _Hermione was trapped. She was back at Malfoy Mansion, and Bellatrix was torturing her. Over and over, she pointed her wand at Hermione, casting the Cruciatis curse. The pain was unlike anything Hermione had ever experienced. She went through a lot during her time at Hogwarts, and after, but never anything like this. She kept begging for Harry, Ron, or somebody else to save her, but they never came. She was left in the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange, and her thirst for torture in the cruelest of ways._

"Hermione!" _A familiar sounding voice floated on the breeze in her dream. She wasn't entirely sure it was familiar though, because the accent was funny. Instead of casting the torturous curse again, Bellatrix pinned Hermione with an immobilizing spell, and began carving mudblood into her arm. Each letter carved with a blade that felt like it was both cutting, and burning._

"Hermione!" _The familiar voice was louder now than it had been before. She was sure Bellatrix would stop once she heard it, but the crazy witch kept going. If she could have, she'd have fought back, but as it was, all she could do was cry._

Suddenly, the dream faded away, and there was nothing. No pain, no Bellatrix, no Malfoy Mansion. Slowly, she came to the understanding that she was in a room, golden sunlight illuminating the ceiling and the face directly above hers. Dean's worried green eyes burned into hers. As realization crept in more and more, she discovered she was lying in bed, covered in sweat, and Dean's hands were holding her face still.

"Hermione, what the hell were you dreaming about?" Dean asked roughly. Seeing her struggling, listening to her screams had scared him more than he was willing to admit to. He held her face gently between his palms.

"Nothing." Hermione replied, her voice hoarse from the screaming and crying.

Dean released her face, and carefully helped her to sit upright. Her eyes landed on Bobby standing in the doorway, shotgun in hand.

"Everything is fine, I just had a nightmare is all." She told the men, hoping they wouldn't press her for answers yet.

"That was one hell of a nightmare to be nothing." Dean told her. His eyes told Hermione that he didn't buy that her dream wasn't "nothing".

"I was tortured." Hermione said simply. "I was reliving it in my dream, only this time, I wasn't rescued."

"What do you mean you were tortured?" Dean asked, dread filling his lungs at whatever it was that had happened to her.

"Please, I don't want to talk about it right now. I'm so tired I could go back to sleep, but I don't want to relive it again." Hermione said grabbing Dean's hand where it rested on the edge of the bed. She willed him to understand that she wasn't ready to talk about it yet.

"I get it. Why don't I take you to get some stuff that'll actually fit you, and some food?" Dean asked, squeezing the small hand in his.

"I think that sounds doable." Hermione said brushing the tears and sweat off her cheeks with her free hand.

During their exchange Bobby had kept silent. He saw something of a kindred spirit in the two young people staying with him. They both had been through a lot of crap, and maybe they could help each other.


	7. The Light

**A/n: I still don't own the characters. Copyright belongs to their creators.**

 **Chapter title inspiration: The Light- Disturbed**

 **Chapter 7**

Dean and Hermione said their goodbyes to Bobby, promising to bring him some pizza back. The ride in the Impala was quiet, not even the requisite 80's rock was playing. Dean was lost in his own thoughts, while Hermione tried to shut hers off. When they reached the local Walmart, Hermione followed Dean closely. She was still wearing his t-shirt and the extra-long sweatpants he'd let her borrow. She'd tried, unsuccessfully to untangle her unruly curls without a hairbrush or comb before they'd left. She still looked downright scary in her mind. Dean looked a little worse for wear though too. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, and the dark circles under his eyes seemed to enhance that. His hair was mussed as if her screaming had woken him from sleep. He was still wearing the same clothes from the cemetery, jeans, black t-shirt, and grayish blue button up, though they were wrinkled.

"Get whatever you're going to need. Don't worry about anything." He told her after grabbing a cart.

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked him. "I feel like I'm taking advantage. I promise to pay you back once I can get to my money back home."

"Don't worry about it sweetheart." He told her, flashing a smile she hadn't yet seen on him.

"Whatever you say." She replied with a wink before she sauntered down the first aisle of junior sized clothes.

"So I know your name, and I know where you come from and what you are, but may I ask how old you are?" Dean asked, watching her scan the racks of clothes.

"What is today's date?" She countered.

"It's March 19. Why?" He replied.

"Well then I'm 6 months away from my twenty first birthday." Hermione told him very matter-of-factly.

"Really?" Dean asked watching her flip through a rack with hoodies on it.

"Yeah really. Why?" Hermione replied.

"You look younger than 20." Dean commented casually.

"Thanks, I think?" She replied unsure if he had just paid her a compliment, or an insult.

She picked up a hoodie that was a similar color pink to the one that had been destroyed.

"Not happening sister." Was the comment from the man behind her.

"What's not happening?" Asked Hermione, confused.

"You can get whatever hoodie you want, as many as you want, but no more pink hoodies." Dean joked. To be honest, he didn't have anything against her wearing pink. She looked nice in pink. He noticed her in pink. He wasn't sure he could look at her wearing a pink hoodie though, even a new one, without seeing that damned bloodstain. Not that he would be admitting the fact out loud.

"Oh come on, the hunter can't stand a little pink?" Teased Hermione.

"I am man." Mocked Dean.

Hermione burst out laughing at him. It was the kind of laughter that she'd forgotten she was capable of. So much had happened in such a short time, but felt as though it had lasted for eternity. Forgetting laughter, humor, and all around goodness was something she wasn't going to do again.

Dean watched Hermione laugh at his mock cave-man impression. It was a carefree, genuine laugh he was hearing for the first time. So full of joy it was, that it brought a smile to his face. A smile he hadn't shared with anyone in a long time. It felt foreign to his features, but right at the same time. She was eliciting emotions in Dean he long thought dead.

"If it means that much to you, you can get the pink hoodie." Dean relented when Hermione had calmed down.

The smile she gave him made the mocking and laughing fade in his mind. It blew everything else from his mind. He'd give almost anything to see it again.

"I think I will, just to torture the cave man." Hermione joked, dropping said item of clothing in the cart before darting off.

He watched her dart through the racks of clothing, moving forward to another aisle whenever she did. She would dart to a rack, rifle through the sizes, then come back with one or two items before going off again. He let her have some space, keeping a straight trajectory through.

Hermione knew Dean was letting her have her space. He kept the cart going straight through one aisle instead of following her through the closely spaced racks. She made sure to grab a few pairs of jeans in her size, they were priority number one after purposefully picking out the pink hoodie. Next priority were shirts. She flipped through the racks of shirts, picking both long and short sleeved ones. She made sure to grab some tank tops as well for layering and sleeping as well. She dumped them into the basket of the cart where Dean just patiently waited for her.

Hermione darted away again, and Dean pushed the cart forward a little. He hated shopping, Sam usually bought him new shirts and/or jeans whenever the ones he had started wearing out. Sam had more patience for it than he did. Whenever he had to go, he inevitably ran into someone that made him want to shoot them. Suddenly, something caught his eye. Nothing resembling clothes ever caught his eye, much less for women. He picked up the shirt just as Hermione was coming back to the cart with more stuff in her hands.

"What have you got there?" Hermione asked him, running a hand through her unruly hair.

"Plaid. It's a hunter necessity." Dean said holding the shirt up, grinning.

"I'm not a hunter Dean." Hermione reminded him, cocking her head to the side and smiling.

"Yeah, well, you're living with hunters now sweetheart. Good enough." Dean told her with a laugh.

Hermione rolled her eyes with a giggle. "If you say so."

"I do say so. Now what size are you sweetheart, a small?" He asked her.

"I'm not telling you that! Here, let me find it." She exclaimed.

Dean rolled his eyes, but allowed the petite woman to take the shirt from his hand so she could find the same one in her size. "A ha!" She said when she'd found it. Holding it aloft like a prize, she waltzed to the front of the cart and dropped it in. She was secretly happy about the choice in shirt Dean had picked out. And to think he picked it as a way for her to fit in with him and Bobby while she stayed with them was heartwarming in a way.

While they walked to a different section of the store so she could find toiletries, she examined the shirt he'd picked. It was a plaid shirt that was more fitted at the top, but loose around the bottom part of the shirt. It was cuffed to be a ¾ length sleeve, but could be extended to be long sleeved if the weather was cooler. The plaid was pretty too, it was similar to the plaids that made up kilts in Ireland and Scotland. Deep red, blue, and gold lines intersecting over a cream colored background somehow seemed pretty to Hermione for the first time.

"Okay, I'm staying at the end of the aisles, just get whatever you need." Dean said, shaking his head. He did not need or want to see what made up women's toiletry needs.

"You scared?" She asked him.

"I have no need to learn what girls use." He replied.

She laughed. "You better hope you don't get married and end up having daughters."

"Never going to happen." Dean said stopping her by holding an arm out in front of her.

"You know what they say about 'never say never', right?" She asked him, frowning. She was confused at Dean's hesitancy to get married.

"Yeah, well, for me, it's the truth." Dean replied.

"Why's that?" She asked, moving around his arm to keep walking.

"Long story." He told her.

"Okay, I won't pry. Besides, we've been having a lovely time, and I'd hate to ruin that." Hermione said, placing her hand on Dean's on the cart handle. A spark of heat shot up both young people's arms, and had them both pulling away from the cart handle at the same time.

"Appreciate it." Dean said, clearing his throat.

"Let's finish this so we can go get that pizza and get back to Bobby's. What do you say?" Hermione asked.

"I think that sounds like a good idea sweetheart." Dean replied. He noticed he'd picked up calling her "sweetheart" more than normal. He made a mental note to dial it back before he scared the poor girl.

The rest of their time in Walmart was spent joking with each other. They kept their conversation lighthearted, and avoided any heavy subjects. Hermione ended up with enough clothes for her to survive for a while, well, at least until she could get back to England, and plenty of essentials. She hoped between her, Dean, and Bobby that she'd be able to get back home sooner rather than later. Though she had to admit, Dean was witty, his sense of humor was just as dry as hers, Bobby's too. She was feeling closer to them than she had anyone else besides Ron and Harry. It made her situation a little more bearable, because let's face it, she could have been a lot worse off than she was now.

After their Walmart adventure, the pair went to a nearby pizza parlor, where Dean ordered 2 pizzas to take home with them. Dean chose a booth by the door, and sat so he could view everyone who came and went from the place. He knew what monsters were out in the world, and he would be damned if he'd let one get the drop on him. Especially when Hermione was around, because it could mean the end of her too.

The pair decided while they waited to try and get to know each other better. Twenty questions was the proposal Hermione put forth, and when she turned her deep brown eyes on Dean, he was hard pressed to turn her down for some reason. She was as good at persuading him as Sam had been.

Dean learned Hermione's favorite food was something called bangers and mash, he wasn't sure what it was, but the dish name was interesting enough. He learned she and her parents had found one place in London where they made the best bangers and mash, and would only order the dish from that one restaurant. He learned that her favorite place for a meal was the school that she'd gone to in England, where she'd met her two best friends Harry and Ron. Harry was the name he recognized from her harried explanation to him about a war, and a dark wizard trying to kill her friend, and others.

He also learned that her favorite color was green, which for some reason made her turn a slight shade of pink. Her favorite past time was reading, and that she was considered the brains in her trio of friends. It surprised him a bit, because if he hadn't seen how she handled him peeling away fabric from an infected, and dried wound, he'd have thought her a typical girl. He'd made a mental note at the time, that she hadn't shopped like he thought a normal girl would have. She grabbed essentials, not stressing details about design or anything like that. She found what she wanted, grabbed it, and moved on.

Through the game, Hermione learned a lot more about the hunter sitting across from her than she thought she would otherwise. He seemed like someone with lots of secrets, and not because he was a secretive person, but rather in a way that screamed he'd seen his fair share with no one to share it with. His favorite colors were black and blue, he liked classic 80s rock the best, because it was what he grew up listening to thanks to his dad, he had basically raised Sam since they were kids, and his favorite food was a tie between bacon cheeseburgers and pie of any kind. She filed the pie answer away for future reference. When she found a way home, she'd definitely be making him, and Bobby a pie, as a way to thank them for the hospitality they didn't have to bestow upon her. She also noticed Dean's nervous habit of turning the silver ring on his right ring finger. He seemed to do it whenever he was deep in thought, or struggling with something only he knew.

"Do you think over dinner; you'd be willing to talk about everything? I know I have questions about this wizard war you mentioned and all that." Dean asked her.

"Of course, I'll tell you whatever you want to know. If I don't know the answer to any of your questions, I'll let you know. It's not going to break me." Hermione replied.

Before Dean could thank her for her promise to be up front with him and Bobby, the boy at the counter called their order. He paid the boy and they climbed back into Baby. It was time for the truth.


	8. Angels Fall

**A/n: Sorry, only borrowing said characters of J. K. Rowling and Eric Kripke.**

 **Chapter title inspiration: Angels Fall- Breaking Benjamin**

 **Chapter 8**

While Dean and Hermione were gone, Bobby sat in his study, a glass of scotch in his hand, willing Dean's friend Cas to show. He'd cornered Dean before he'd left with Hermione, and asked him about maybe asking Castiel about the witches and wizards from England, just to see if he had any intel before they questioned Hermione. Neither of them wanted to spook her, and make her think that she wasn't actually safe. As far as Bobby was concerned, there was no such thing as too much information, unless the information was false, like some of the lore he and the boys were used to. If they were going to help Hermione get home safely, they needed as much information as was possible.

Bobby glanced at the clock when all of the sudden, a faint whooshing noise alerted him to the fact he was no longer alone. When he turned his head, there stood Castiel, Angel of the Lord, in the doorway between his study and living room.

"You prayed?" The angel asked in his usual, gruff monotone.

"Hello to you too." Bobby replied.

"Sorry, my people skills are rusty." Replied Castiel. "While it's only been days since I've seen you here on earth, in heaven it's been longer."

"Uh huh, I prayed because Dean and I are stumped, and instead of interrogating someone without much base intel, I thought maybe you could answer some questions." Bobby said.

"What is it I can help with?" Castiel asked, his inflection barely changing.

"What do you know about the wizarding world in England?" Bobby asked directly, leaning back in his chair.

"It's a community of witches and wizards who were born with their magical powers, either to families with centuries of magic blood, to families who are mixed magical and non-magical blood, or to families who have no magical blood in their family lineage. There's a war going on right now, between a Lord Voldemort, formerly Tom Riddle, and his followers, who believe the wizarding community should be closed to anyone who is not magic born from pure magical blooded families. Half-bloods, those mixed with magical and non-magical blood, and the magic born from non-magical families are his targets. He's also targeted a boy named Harry Potter, the only person who has survived their killing curse. It's said that he's the only one who can defeat Voldemort." Castiel told Bobby.

"So far you're not telling me anything I don't already know, except for the bit about Harry Potter. I'm aware there is a war, and the magical lineage is the same style as the American wizarding community. What I don't know is how, or if, it's any different in England than it is here." Bobby replied, impatience getting the best of him.

"Government is set up relatively similar, there's structure and the requisite bureaucracy. Unlike the American community, there's not a strict secrecy policy in place. The non-magical and magical communities have found a way to coexist quite harmoniously. Since this Lord Voldemort has put his own people in what they call the 'Ministry of Magic,' the relationship between the communities has come to a halt." Cas explained. "There's not much more of a difference other than those. The American wizarding community is not doing anything to help in England. Their wizarding community seems to stick to its own concerns and such."

"How noble." Bobby commented, taking a sip of his scotch, while digesting what the angel had told him so far.

"Rumor has it before the final battle, Lord Voldemort may check out other world help for more force." Cas warned.

"Aren't there hunters over there that could handle that?" Bobby asked.

"Not on the same scale as hunters here. Hunters there are only trained for small things, they know about the wizarding community, but don't touch them. There was only one incident with an overeager hunter, and a witch from their community, but that was years and years ago. Ever since, hunters are somewhat of a fantasy story among young witches and wizards." Cas replied. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must get back to heaven."

Before Bobby could respond, Cas was gone with another faint whooshing noise. He had been a help, and a non-help, all at the same time. He wasn't sure he was much more ahead of the curve than he had been. Downing the scotch, he retired from the study just as the sound of the Impala's engine cut through the quiet surrounding Singer Salvage. He met Dean and Hermione on the porch.

"We come bearing food!" Dean called to Bobby.

"'Bout time. Thought you guys had gotten lost." Bobby retorted.

"Pizza takes time to cook." Dean replied, pulling Walmart bags from the backseat.

Hermione carried the 2 pizzas carefully into the house, Bobby holding the screen door open for her. "Where would you like them?" She asked.

"Kitchen table is fine." Bobby replied.

Hermione nodded once, dashing into the kitchen with the boxes. Meanwhile Dean had finally made it into the house with Hermione's bags.

"I'm going to take this stuff up to the bedroom you're using. You can do whatever with it." Dean called.

Hermione dashed out of the kitchen, following Dean up the stairs. Dean snapped on the bedroom light, and dumped the bags onto one of the two twin beds Hermione hadn't noticed before. She'd known there was one bed in the room, but then she wasn't being the most perceptive earlier either. There was also a worn looking wooden dresser against one of the side walls that she hadn't noticed either. The room was painted stark white, and the curtains looked like they had once been white at one time, but had faded into a yellowish color.

Looking around, Hermione was overwhelmed for the first time by how far away from home she was, how far from her friends and family, and the kindness of these world hardened hunters. Before she could change her mind, she moved across the room to wrap her arms around Dean's waist.

Dean was shocked by the sudden hug. Shocked in a way that wasn't bad at all, in a way that blew any residual thoughts of Lisa out of his mind. It took a second or two before his arms found their way around Hermione's shoulders, holding her to him. The warmth he'd felt earlier, when their hands had been touching on a Walmart cart handle was there, only this time tenfold. It felt like someone had lit a candle hiding behind his ribs. His cheek dropped to rest on the top of her head. She was short, but somehow the perfect height that the embrace just felt natural.

She pulled out of the embrace first, her face a slight shade of pink again. Dean cleared his throat, feeling like an awkward teenager for the first time in, well, ever.

"Not that I minded, but what was that for?" Dean asked Hermione.

"You have been so welcoming to me, well, after getting over the gut instinct to kill me where I stood. You're giving me a place to stay, and bought me stuff I'll need while I'm here, and you don't expect repayment. That's a rare kind of person Dean, and I am overwhelmed by your care for a complete stranger who got dropped on you by a strange set of events." Hermione explained.

"It's not a problem, and we're going to help you find a way home." Dean said with conviction, grabbing Hermione's hand gently in his.

"You don't have to do that." Hermione tried to protest.

"I know we don't have to, but we want to." Dean explained. "Now, let's go eat before Bobby cleans out the pizza boxes, and there's nothing left for us."

"Sounds good to me." Hermione replied with a smile.

Without letting go of her hand, Dean led her back down the stairs to the kitchen where Bobby was hovering by the table.

"Took you two long enough, I'm starving here." Bobby admonished good naturedly.

"We weren't up there that long, you old fart." Dean joked back.

Bobby noted that Dean had Hermione's hand in his, and didn't look like he was going to let it go any time soon. He didn't say anything though, because after what Dean had just gone through, he needed someone, someone who wasn't male, or just another one-night stand. They were just temporary bandages, not something to be used long term. He was hopeful that Dean might actually make it through Sam's fall into the cage in relatively one piece.

Hermione giggled and released Dean's hand. She promptly went to the pizza boxes, opening them and folding the lids back so they wouldn't be in the way. Dean watched her as she set up their dinner with a smile on his face. Bobby looked happy, but surprised at the young woman who had just taken over his kitchen. He pointed her in the direction of everything she asked for, paper towels, drinks, glasses, that sort of stuff. She pulled open the refrigerator and asked the hunters what they would prefer to drink.

Pulling two beers, she used a bottle opener nearby to open them. She handed one to Bobby, and the other to Dean, before pulling a glass from the cupboard to put water in for herself. All of the sudden, she stopped her activity.

"You're not underage too, are you?" She asked Dean, her eyes narrowed at him when he took a decent sized drag of his beer.

Bobby snickered. "Hell no. I haven't been underage for a while now." He mentally added that the underage factor hadn't been much of one, growing up the way he did.

"Exactly how old are you then?" She asked, her arms crossing across her chest.

"27, sweetheart." Dean replied honestly.

"Good, okay. I guess we're ready to eat then, use your paper towels as your plates, I don't want to wash up tonight." Hermione told the guys.

Neither Dean nor Bobby had to be told twice. They both made for the pizza boxes, grabbing a paper towel to use just as Hermione had instructed. She waited off to the side until they were done to get hers, and followed the men into the cluttered living room area.

"While we eat, there are some stuff we want to ask you about." Bobby started, sitting in a high back chair across from Hermione, who was sitting next to Dean on the couch.

"Very well. What would you like to know?" She asked.

"Well for starters, I want you to know, I got a little background information from Dean's friend Castiel." Bobby said.

"The strange wizard from the cemetery?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, the one in the same." Bobby replied casting a look at Dean.

"Is he an American wizard?" She asked looking at first Dean, then Bobby.

"Not exactly. Castiel is an angel of the Lord." Dean told her, before shoving the pizza back in his mouth for another bite.

"Like angel on my shoulder type of angel?" Hermione asked confused.

"No. For the most part, angels are complete dicks." Dean told her around the pizza in his mouth.

"Okay then, what does an angel of the Lord have anything to do with me?" Hermione replied, trying to bring the topic back to importance. She could grill Dean another time about his "angels are dicks" comment.

"He was able to give me a little background information about the war, and less information about your wizarding community, and I was hoping you could fill in some blanks. What do you know about hunters?" Bobby asked.

"They're legend over in England. There was a story, that us kids used to tell each other at sleep overs, to scare each other before bed. It had to do with a witch, who was seeing a muggle, non-magic person, and she aparated away to see him one night. Only she aparated in front of a hunter, who then proceeded to torture her, before killing her. It's said that he nailed her body to a tree in the town where she'd lived, as a warning to other witches and wizards." Hermione said. "There's that one story, but all of the witches and wizards I know haven't ever come across a hunter, so we didn't even believe they existed."

"Interesting. It may have been an isolated event." Bobby commented lowly to Dean who nodded.

"Maybe, but in my studies, there was a time the Ministry of Magic, our government body if you will, had a statute of secrecy in place. It was repealed months before I was born." Hermione told them.

"How long was the statute in place?" Bobby asked.

"About 85, 86 years." Hermione replied.

"That's a long time to close off an entire community of people." Bobby commented.

"Yeah, I don't know why it was like that, there's no information on it." Hermione replied.

"Do you know there's a statute of secrecy on the American wizarding community?" Bobby asked directly.

"I didn't, no." Hermione told him honestly.

"Yeah, been in place since after the Salem Witch Trials, in 1693. That's why I have little information about your kind of witch. There's lore that pre-dates the trials, which is where I got some of my information, but it's all I've got." Bobby told her. "Castiel told me how the bloodline thing works, and it's exactly what you told me it is. He also told me a little about the war."

Hermione went pale at the mention of the war back home. "It's bad, he's gaining power and followers every day. My friends, Harry, Ron, and I have been traveling around England, looking for the things that are keeping him from being killed, since we graduated Hogwarts."

"What do you mean keeping him from being killed?" Dean asked her.

Hermione detailed the dark magic known as "horcrux". She explained in detail how it worked, and why Lord Voldemort couldn't be killed until all of his horcruxes were destroyed.

"How many of them are there?" Bobby asked.

"There's 6 that we know of, and I suspect there's a seventh. Three of them have already been found, and destroyed. Harry destroyed the first, which was Lord Voldemort's journal during our second year of school. We were 12 then. Our school's headmaster destroyed a ring that had been Lord Voldemort's grandfather's, the summer before our sixth year of school. I was nearly 16 at that time. The third, was a locket owned by one of the founders of Hogwarts." Hermione said, launching into a detailed version of the story about how her friends and her, had set off on a quest to hunt down and destroy horcruxes. How they had to steal one from ministry witch, Delores Umbridge, and then didn't have anything to destroy it with. It ended up infecting her friend Ron, who ended up abandoning them for a while, and didn't return until they'd found the only sword in existence that could break the locket, and kill that part of Voldemort's soul.

"So you're 3 horcruxes down, with 3, possibly 4 more, to find and destroy. Am I getting this right?" Dean asked.

"Correct. I have a lead on another one, but I can't get back. If I aparate, I'll be traceable. If I aparate to the wrong place, I would be in bigger trouble." Hermione told him.

"I want to know about how you got that word carved into your arm. What happened?" Dean asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking. Just the thought of her being hurt, made him violently angry.

"We went to see one of our former classmates' father about a symbol that kept popping up in my research. I showed it to Harry, and he'd said he'd seen Mr. Lovegood wearing a pendant with the symbol on it at a wedding we were at, before starting our quest for horcruxes. So we went to see him, and because Lord Voldemort had taken his daughter hostage, he set us up to try and catch us. We were able to aparate out, but we ended up being chased down by snatchers. Snatchers are responsible for tracking down undesirables, and either killing them for Voldemort, or taking them to the ministry that Voldemort controls." Hermione began. "We tried to out run them, but they got us, but instead of taking us to the ministry, or outright killing us, they took us to Malfoy Mansion. It's the family home of another kid we all went to school with. Harry and Ron were locked in the basement to wait for Voldemort, and I was kept upstairs so Bellatrix, a dark witch, could interrogate me as to where I got the sword that could kill horcruxes. It was supposed to be in her vault at the wizarding bank."

"If it was supposed to be in her bank vault, how did you end up with it? Did you steal it?" Bobby asked.

"It's a goblin made sword. It can present itself to anyone worthy of using it. The night Ron rejoined Harry and I on the quest, a patronus led Harry to where it was." Hermione said.

"What's a patronus?" Dean asked before Bobby could say anything else.

"It's a defensive charm that uses extremely positive energy to create a Patronus or protector. It typically takes the shape of an animal. It's difficult to do, and most of our kind can't produce a full blown one." Hermione replied.

"Can you?" Dean asked her curiously.

"Yes, I can produce a full, corporeal patronus. Harry taught me how to do it during fifth year, when we had to learn defensive magic in secret. I can only do it with a wand, and mine takes the shape of an otter." She replied with a half-smile.

"Okay, so your friend Harry found the sword because one of these patronus things led him to it?" Bobby injected.

"Yes, that's right. Anyway, Bellatrix thought I'd stolen it. First, she tortured me with a curse that causes the person on the receiving end, endless amounts of pain. Over and over, she'd ask me how I broke into her vault, and what else did I take. When I wouldn't tell her anything, she'd cast that same curse again. When she wasn't satisfied with me staying silent, she immobilized me with a different spell, then she started cutting me. She yelled some nasty things, and accused me of stealing. All I could do was cry. I couldn't get away. I couldn't even talk; the pain was so bad." Hermione recalled, tears pricking the corners of her eyes as she recounted her time at Malfoy Mansion.

"How did you get away?" Asked Dean, his rage barely under control.

"A house elf helped Harry and Ron escape the dungeon they were in. They burst into the room where I was, and they rescued me. The house elf aparated us to a beach, where there was a safe house for wizards fighting against Voldemort. I was staying there with my friends when I found the portkey that sent me here." Hermione went on to explain.

"What's a portkey?" Dean asked again, wondering how exactly she was transported from England to Kansas.

"It's an innocuous object enchanted to transport a person magically from one place to another in a matter of moments, instead hours or days."

"So someone enchanted it to bring you to Kansas, specifically that cemetery." Dean observed out loud.

"Yeah. Most likely because it was a remote location, where someone would be able to be transported, without witnesses, and the pesky trying to come up with a plausible explanation on the spot."

"Except that when you transported, it happened to be at the same time as…" Dean trailed off, unable to voice what exactly had gone down in the cemetery that day.

"That's right." Hermione said.

"Is there any safe method of travel for you?" Bobby asked.

"Not magically, and plane will take too long. I'm worried about what's going to happen to everybody if I'm here too long." Hermione told the older hunter.


	9. Kryptonite

**A/n: I love these characters, I really do. Thank you to their creators and owners: J. K. Rowling and Eric Kripke.**

 **Chapter title inspiration: Kryptonite- 3 Doors Down**

 **Chapter 9**

Dean and Bobby sat in their seats looking at the young woman. "Let me get this straight, you and your friends have been fighting this since you were 12?" Bobby asked.

"Well, since were 11 anyway. First year, Voldemort was trying to steal the Sorcerer's Stone so he would be immortal, and have a body again." Hermione told them. "I mostly did all of the research."

"Wow, so this has been an ongoing thing for you." Dean observed.

"Yeah, well, I guess that's one of the hazards of being friends with 'the chosen one.'" Hermione remarked.

"The chosen one?" Bobby asked.

"There was a prophecy, made years back by my old divination professor. It's about a male child, who would be born towards the end of July, the same year I was born. I heard the whole thing from Harry: the parents of the child would defy Voldemort 3 times, have powers the dark lord wouldn't know about, and if there was more than one child who fit the criteria, Voldemort's choices would pick who the child would end up being." Hermione told him. "Because of Voldemort's actions, the chosen one is Harry, and ultimately he's the only one who can kill the dark wizard. Unfortunately, for him to do that, we have to take out the horcruxes first."

Both hunters' minds were spinning with all of the information Hermione had given them. Horcruxes, patronus charms, Malfoy Mansion, all of it just screamed dangerous to them.

"Are you aware of Voldemort recruiting any supernatural forces to help him in his crusade?" Asked Bobby after a moment of silence.

"I'm not officially aware of it, but I guess I wouldn't be surprised. I know he's got giants, werewolves, and dementors fighting with him, alongside his witch and wizard following." Hermione replied.

"Wait, you have giants?" Dean asked, his head whipping around to stare wide-eyed at Hermione.

"Yeah. Why? Don't you?" Hermione asked him, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"Not that I'm aware of." Dean replied, searching his brain for any indication that giants existed.

"Werewolves?" Bobby questioned.

"In the wizard world, werewolves are bitten, and they turn on the night of the full moon. We had a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who was a werewolf our third year at Hogwarts." Hermione explained.

"You had one as a teacher?" Dean asked incredulously. "How many deaths were there that year?"

"There weren't any." Hermione replied, confused by the question.

"How is that possible?" Dean shot back at her.

"Remus Lupin is one of the good guys. He's with the Order of the Phoenix, a group of witches and wizards dedicated to stopping Lord Voldemort. While he was teaching that year, our Potions professor was providing him with the Wolfsbane Potion." Hermione explained to Dean gently.

"What's a Wolfsbane Potion?" Bobby asked.

"It's a potion that helps the werewolf not forget who he is while he is a werewolf. Basically, Lupin, turns and he looks like a werewolf, but is fully aware of who he is, who is enemy and who isn't. Knows right from wrong, things like that." Hermione told him.

"Interesting." Was all Bobby said.

"What do you mean by this Voldemort character is recruiting the supernatural?" Dean asked Bobby.

"Cas wasn't that specific Dean. Just that there are rumors that he's looking into supernatural forces to help with a final confrontation. I guess he's planning a large scale attack at some point." Bobby told him.

"What about hunters? Do they have hunters over there that can help with that problem?" Dean asked.

"According to Cas, none that will do any good. Basically they're not as experienced." Bobby replied.

"Maybe we should be looking for a way to get all of us there, with some reinforcements." Dean commented.

"It's something to consider anyway." Bobby replied.

Hermione yawned behind her hand, listening to the hunters talk. She was too tired to answer any more questions. She figured there'd be more the men wanted to know. They seemed to be handling all of the information she'd given them well. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know why Dean had asked her how many people had died when Lupin was a professor. She figured she'd find out anyway, along with a bunch more information that maybe she could use for the future.

Dean noticed Hermione's yawn while he and Bobby discussed what Cas had said. The young woman was still tired, even after her short nap earlier. He figured they'd need to bench any further conversation until morning.

"We've done a lot of talking tonight, why don't you go on up and get some sleep if you want?" Dean suggested, resting a gentle hand on Hermione's knee.

"I think that's a good idea. Can I ask you something though?" Hermione asked him, her tired brown eyes locking onto his green ones.

"You can ask me anything sweetheart." Dean said, automatically adding the sweetheart at the end.

Bobby cleared his throat as he made a rather hasty exit from the living room. He figured now was as good a time as any to leave the young people staying there, alone.

"I noticed there were 2 beds in the room I'm staying in. You can tell me no if you don't want to, but if you would like to take the other bed, you can." Hermione rushed out.

"That wasn't exactly a question." Dean replied swallowing a snicker. He knew exactly what she was asking, but he wanted her to spit it out.

"I'm asking if you want to share the bedroom." Hermione told him, rolling her eyes.

"I think we can do that. You go on up and change. I want to talk to Bobby for a few minutes before I try and get some shut eye." Dean replied.

"Okay." Hermione replied. "Thank you for today."

"You're welcome." He told her.

After he heard her shut the bedroom door, he went in search of Bobby, who was drinking a scotch at the kitchen table.

"So you're ready to go hunting again?" Bobby asked, a note of curiosity tinged his gruff voice.

"I wouldn't say ready, but if no one else is going to help hunt the supernatural in this wizarding war, innocent people like Hermione, are going to get killed. I can't live with that, especially knowing I could have done something." Dean told Bobby.

"Sounds like you might be in deep with this girl." Bobby commented off handedly.

"It's not like that Bobby. Well, maybe it could be like that. I don't know." Dean replied running his hands through his hair in frustration.

"What about Lisa and Ben?" Bobby asked.

"I made promises to Sam I'm not sure I can keep. Being close to Hermione makes me forget my promise to go to Lisa and Ben, live a normal life, and stop hunting." Dean told him.

"He wanted you to stop hunting?" Bobby wasn't horribly surprised.

"Yep. Said he didn't want me to try and save him, just let it be." Dean replied sadly.

"But you still want to go help Hermione, and the wizarding world back in England?" Asked Bobby carefully.

"Yeah. I feel like I should. I feel like that's what dad would have wanted me to do." The responsibility of everything weighed down on Dean like a ton of bricks. He'd promised Sam to live a normal life, have a family and all that, but now there was someone in trouble, and another world to keep safe from the supernatural. Dad raised him not to turn his back when innocent people were in danger from evil. Thinking on everything, he felt like he was the rope used for a tug of war game. Getting up Dean, went to Bobby's liquor cabinet to pour his own glass of scotch. It was too late to be thinking on this stuff, and too soon after Sam and Adam had gotten locked in the cage with Michael and Lucifer.

He drank down the burning liquid in one go before moving toward the stairs. "I'm going to bed Bobby." He called.

"See you bright and early son." Bobby replied.

Dean climbed the stairs slowly, weariness creeping into his muscles with every breath, and every step. The door to the bedroom was open slightly, letting him know it was probably safe to enter. When he did, he noticed Hermione was sitting up in one bed, her legs bent at the knee under the covers, her back propped up with a pillow. On the other bed, was his canvas duffle bag.

"How'd that get here?" He questioned lightly.

"When I came up I grabbed it so that it'd be here for you when you were ready." Hermione replied softly.

"Thank you." Dean replied, noticing her changed appearance for the first time.

She was no longer wearing his t-shirt, but a black tank top, and her hair, which he had gotten used to seeing flow around her shoulders, was up in a ponytail. With her arms bare, he could see the bandaging he had put on her forearm earlier. There was very little red on it, which meant she hadn't bled for long after he'd secured it. That made him smile for the first time since they'd had their talk downstairs about her war.

Dean moved to the duffle and pulled out another pair of Sam's sweatpants. He didn't typically sleep in sweats, but this time he would for Hermione's sake. He also pulled out a white undershirt to wear with them. Moving to the bathroom, he changed quickly, and returned to the bedroom. He clicked the light off before crawling into the bed across from Hermione's. She was still sitting propped up, in the same position she'd been in before.

"Most people sleep laying down with their eyes closed." Dean joked, rolling on his side.

"Keen powers of observation." Hermione cracked dryly.

"Just relax sweetheart. There's nothing that can get you for now." He told her.

"I know that rationally, there's just a lot going on in my brain." She replied, finally sliding down so her head was on her pillow. She pulled the covers up over her shoulders and turned so she was facing Dean.

"Like what?" Dean asked her.

"Well, I'm wondering how I'm going to get home. I'm worried that Harry and Ron are going to fail the quest to destroy Voldemort. And I'm nervous that when I close my eyes, I'm going to end up reliving what happened to me at Malfoy Mansion." Hermione told him honestly.

"It's going to be okay Hermione; you know that right? Bobby and I are going to find a way to get you home to your friends. We'll do whatever we can to help. My dad raised Sam and I to help people. Our motto has always been 'saving people, hunting things, the family business.'" Dean told her.

"Until I fall asleep, would you tell me about Sam?" Hermione asked cautiously.

"I guess I can do that. He's my younger brother by 4 years. Our mom was killed by a yellow eyed demon when he was six months old, in his nursery. Unfortunately, that hardened our dad. He became obsessed with revenge, and became a hunter. It was a sad, lonely life. Crappy motel room, one after another. Whenever dad was out on a hunt for one thing or another, it was my job to look after Sam." Dean started. "If he didn't leave us to fend for ourselves in a motel room, he left us here or at another friend of his, Pastor Jim's."

"So you've known Bobby for a long time then." Hermione commented sadly. Her heart was hurting thinking of little Dean and Sam left to fend for themselves.

"Yeah, he was best friends with my dad." Dean replied.

"Was? Are they not anymore?" She asked him perplexed.

"My dad died about 4 years ago." He replied.

"I'm sorry Dean, I didn't mean to pry." Hermione replied sitting up. She was worried she'd upset the man in the bed across from her.

"Hermione, lay back down, it's okay. He died to save my life." He told her, reaching an arm out to calm her.

"Oh." Was all Hermione could say. She was picturing all kinds of horrible things that could have happened to cause his dad to die, saving Dean's life.

"Yeah, Sam was the one who found him." He told her.

"Poor Sam." Hermione commented.

"Yeah, he took it hard. Especially because they nearly had yet another argument right before it happened." Dean told her.

"I take it they didn't get along very well?" Hermione asked settling back down on her side.

"Not overly well. Sam resented the way we grew up. He wanted a normal life, and he nearly had one. He got to do his pre-law at Stanford, a prestigious college here in the states. Dad thought he should stay and keep hunting with us. They got into a nasty fight about it, and didn't speak at all while Sam was in college. He wouldn't even talk to me either. I know dad drove by Stanford whenever he was in the area just to make sure he was okay. He worried about him." Dean told her, his voice rough.

"Your dad sounds like a complicated person. If Sam got out of hunting, how did he get back in?" Hermione asked, her voice devoid of any accusation or judgement.

"Dad went missing for a while, and I couldn't track him down, so I went to Sam and asked him to help me." He replied.

"You're a good son, and brother Dean." She told him.

"I don't know about that anymore. This whole situation has me questioning a lot." Dean told her, thinking maybe he had just said too much.

"Why?" Hermione challenged him.

"Reasons." Dean said stubbornly.

"Such as?" Hermione pushed.

"Go to bed Hermione." Dean warned.

"Fine, I'll let it go. For now," Hermione replied, her voice belying the smile on her face.


	10. Push

**A/n: I don't own the characters. I'm pretty sure you all get it by now, but I still have to address it anyway.**

 **Chapter title inspiration: Push- Matchbox Twenty**

 **Chapter 10**

Dean barely got much sleep that night. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Sammy falling into the cage. Whenever that happened, he'd sneak out of the bedroom to go downstairs for another glass of Bobby's scotch. A few times, he had been near to falling asleep, when the young witch having a nightmare startled him awake again. Every time though, he was there to comfort her back to sleep. He didn't get any form of real sleep until the sun was just barely cresting the horizon in the east.

When he woke up, goodness only knew how much later, after he'd fallen asleep finally, the first thing he noticed was the brightly sunlit room. Rolling onto his right side, the second thing he noticed was that Hermione wasn't in her twin sized bed. It was empty, and the covers were nicely and neatly in place. With a growl, he sat up pulling the covers away from him. He dressed quickly in his favorite, clean pair of jeans, a black fitted t-shirt, and a navy blue button up that he cuffed the sleeves to just below the elbow. As soon as he stepped into the hallway outside of the bedroom, the smell of coffee and food hit his nose. He followed the smell down the stairs to Bobby's little kitchen, where there was food piled on plates on the table, but no one there eating it.

Frowning, Dean turned and headed for the living room, where he found Bobby sitting in his usual spot with a book open in his lap, and Hermione looking comfortable on the couch with another book open. She appeared to be studying whatever was written in it intently. He cleared his throat, amused when both occupants startled.

"Well good morning sleepy head." Bobby teased from his chair. "Did you catch up on your beauty rest?"

"Because I haven't heard that one before." Dean quipped back before turning his attention to Hermione, who had closed her book, but not before holding her place with her index finger. "How long have you been awake?"

He noticed that her curls were wet, and hanging down a little way past her shoulders. She had dressed herself in a pair of jeans, and surprisingly, the plaid shirt he'd picked out for her the night before. Her face wasn't as pale as it had been, but the dark circles under her eyes were just as noticeable as ever. It belied the fact that she had slept just as crappy as he had.

"A couple of hours at most. Long enough to take a shower, and make breakfast for everyone. Go ahead and help yourself, Bobby and I already ate. I left the food out for you, figuring you'd be hungry when you woke up." Hermione told him with a gentle smile.

"It's good." Bobby commented, his nose buried in the book he'd been reading when Dean had first found them.

"Very well then." Dean replied making his way back into the kitchen.

He was just pouring himself a cup of coffee, when a floorboard creaking had him whipping around. Hermione had walked into the kitchen and was making for the sink immediately to his left.

"You didn't sleep well either?" Dean asked quietly.

"Not really. Kept having nightmares." Hermione told him just as quietly.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you how long they'll last before they go away." Dean replied placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I hope they do someday. I'm going to need to be at my best." Hermione said slamming the tap water on.

"What's Bobby got you reading?" Dean asked steering the conversation away from the hard stuff. He pushed away from the counter in favor of actually eating real food.

"He's decided I need to learn about the supernatural. I'm reading about the different types of vengeful spirits there are in your world." Hermione replied. "It's rather fascinating because they're very different than the ghosts in my world."

"You've got ghosts?" Dean asked sternly, pointing a piece of toast in Hermione's direction which she saw.

"Stop pointing bread at me" Hermione scolded. "And yes we do. For the most part, friendly ones too. Some of them are a little on the grumpy side, but not homicidal."

"Interesting. Could it be the magic that ran in their blood preventing them from becoming a vengeful spirit?" Dean wondered out loud.

"I suppose it's possible." Hermione replied, turning to scrub a plate she'd been holding. "I suppose that's a theory. Bobby says once I've learned about your vengeful spirits, I can move onto demons."

"Because that's what you want in your head." Dean muttered around the lip of his coffee mug.

"Dean Winchester, I'm fully capable of taking care of myself when I know what I'm up against. I'm sure I can handle demons after what I've been through." Hermione replied sternly, soapy hands on her hips and all.

Dean took in her fiery response, his eyes wide. The hands on her hips though nearly had him snorting in laughter. "I'm not doubting your ability to handle yourself." Dean replied, holding his hands up in a sign of surrender.

"So what are you implying?" She asked, no less heat in her voice.

"That I don't want that shit in my head, and I've been on the front lines of this since I was 4 years old." Dean started. "It's not something anyone should have in their heads."

"I know it's dark, and its serious crap, but I have to know what I could be up against at some point. Let's face it, I'm living with hunters while I find my way back home. Who knows what could come knocking while I'm here. That, and your angel friend said that Voldemort could be recruiting some of this stuff for whatever large scale attack he has planned." Hermione ranted. "If I don't learn here, I can't defend myself or my friends."

"I get it. You don't have to explain yourself to me." Dean replied.

Hermione gave him a nod, before turning back to the soapy water she was using to wash what breakfast dishes she could do, before Dean finished his breakfast and added to the pile. At that moment, Bobby stuck his head into the kitchen, and indicated with a thumb he wanted to see Dean alone, outside. Dropping his toast on the plate in front of him, Dean followed the older hunter, coffee cup in hand. The older hunter led him out to the yard where the Impala was parked.

"What's up Bobby?" Dean asked lowly.

"We gotta train her up Dean. She's right, she needs to know what she's up against, and how to defend herself. It would be cruel of us to keep her in the dark." Bobby said.

"So you have her reading lore books?" Dean asked leaning against his beloved Impala.

"She came down after a shower looking for something to do. She said last night she was the researcher for her group, so I asked her if she'd like to read up on some lore to start, and she's really taking to it." Bobby explained.

"The lore books only teach you so much." Dean contemplated out loud, more to himself than to Bobby.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about, idjit. Field training: weapons, hand to hand, that sort of stuff." Replied the older hunter before sticking his hands in his back pockets.

"I suppose, what about finding her a way back home?" Dean asked. He remembered the conversation where she'd specifically expressed how important it was she return to England as soon as she could.

"That's what I've been doing all morning. I'm working my way through every lore book I have about her kind of witch, which is all of one. I'll put some feelers out to find one of those low level hunters in England. Find out what they know." Bobby told him.

"I guess that's the best we can do for now." Dean replied.

"Yep, when she's done with the lore book she's reading, I'll send her your way to go over practical vengeful spirit training." Bobby said over his shoulder as he walked back towards the front door of his house.

Dean sighed and made his way to the trunk. Opening it, he propped the lid to his arsenal. He pulled the salt, a number of already packed salt rounds, and a sawed off shotgun. He made his way to Bobby's shed, where he pulled a can of gasoline, then took everything out to a clear area of the salvage yard. For the next hour, he set up a fake grave, and targets for Hermione to shoot at.

He was just about to go into the house to see where Bobby and Hermione were at with the lore books, when both of them came walking out of the house. He walked toward them, noting that Hermione's now dry hair, was in a ponytail that swayed delightfully side to side as she walked. A jolt of attraction worked its way through Dean just watching her, which made him push it down so that he could concentrate. It wouldn't do much good for anybody if he was too distracted to teach Hermione how to hunt vengeful spirits properly. He jogged the remaining steps to the mismatched duo.

"Hermione, I'm leaving you to the devices of this idjit here. He'll train you to hunt these things practically. There's only so much the lore alone can teach you." Bobby explained.

"I appreciate the training." Hermione told the hunters, thankfulness coloring her tone.

"Well, sweetheart, it's like you told me in the kitchen. You need to know this stuff." Dean replied, gesturing her to walk ahead of him with a wave of his arm.

She moved around him to walk, and her scent hit Dean full force. The sweet smell of flowers was a change to what he was used to as a hunter. It was infinitely a more pleasant smell than the interior of the Impala after Sam had eaten even one bite of Mexican food. Dean found himself subconsciously putting a hand on the middle of her back to guide her to where he'd set up her first lesson. The bang of a screen door in the distance let Dean know that Bobby had gone back inside the house to continue his own research.

When he got her back to where he'd set up shop, she leaned against one of the wrecked cars nearby, her arms crossed.

"Okay, let's pretend we're on a hunt, how do we know it's a vengeful spirit?" Dean asked directly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"Vengeful spirits often haunt the place where they died, an object they were attached to, or where any remaining DNA of theirs is. There's always a detectable pattern to their kills, for example, the painting that was bought by people who were murdered by having their throats slit. Each victim had purchased the painting, then were found dead shortly after. The girl who was killing the victims, haunted the painting." Hermione explained.

"Where'd you hear about that case?" Dean asked her flabbergasted.

"Bobby told me. Says he read about it in a series of books called 'Supernatural.'" Hermione explained.

"Son of a bitch." Groaned Dean, thinking about the books that detailed everything about him, Sam, and their jobs, to the general public. "So how do you get rid of a vengeful spirit once you've identified that you're hunting one?"

"The most common form of getting rid of a vengeful spirit is using salt and gasoline to burn the bones, however, any remaining form of DNA will work too." Hermione recited.

"What's a spirit's weakness?" Dean asked, impressed with how much she'd picked up in a matter of hours.

"Salt and iron." Hermione replied quickly.

"Alright, moving on." Dean said grabbing the shovel nearby. "To get to the bones in order to salt and burn them, sometimes means digging them up from the cemetery."

Dean handed her the shovel. "So I get to dig up the bones?" Hermione asked cocking an eyebrow at him.

"Yes, I didn't bury them deep, just enough to make you have to work for it. We'll get to the next step after that." Dean replied, indicating the spot where he'd buried a crudely made dummy.

Hermione decided she needed to prove to the hunter that she could do this. That she was actually stronger than she looked. The sun burned above them making the day warm, but not too hot. Instead of waiting until she was all sweaty, she pulled at the sleeves of her top until she was pulling it over her head, leaving her in a plain white camisole. She then went to grab the shovel from Dean's hand, but not before she watched his eyes take in the change in her clothing with a healthy dose of appreciation soaking his brilliant, green eyes. With a last smirk in his direction, she pushed the shovel into the earth, kicking it in with her foot, then pulling away the pile to set what she'd moved aside.

Dean watched Hermione, appreciating the effort she was giving the job. Or at least that was what he was telling himself. His mind refused to acknowledge that it might have had more to do with the way she looked in a form hugging top, that was lower cut than he would have ever pegged her for wearing. She worked hard, and was soon moving the last of the dirt to expose his dummy. She raised her brown eyes to him and waited.

"Now, this is where it can get difficult. Spirits aren't about to let you kill them, they usually start attacking right about now. The best way to deal with this is to have a partner who has your back. A simple ring of salt won't help you here because of weather, and you have to stay as focused as you can to get the job done." Dean explained.

"So how does a partner help keep the spirit from attacking so the salting and burning gets done?" Hermione asked.

"This." Dean replied holding up the sawed off.

"Dean, you can't shoot the spirits. It's not going to do anything." Hermione said rolling her eyes.

"Okay smart ass, get out of that hole and I'll show you." Dean said shooting a smirk in her direction.

Hermione stepped out of the shallow hole in the ground, and made her way to Dean's side. He was standing next to one heck of a beat up car, the shotgun prepped for loading. He picked up a bright red shell and handed it to her.

"It's packed with salt instead of a regular round. It won't kill a spirit, but it'll deter them for a little while. It should hopefully buy you, or whoever you're working with some time." Dean explained. While he talked, he loaded 2 salt rounds into the shotgun and closed it with a click.

"You do realize I've never shot a gun in my life?" Hermione asked him, her eyes going wide at the sound of the shotgun clicking into place.

"Well that's about to change sweetheart." Dean replied stepping in front of her head on. "Are you right or left hand dominant?"

"I write with my right hand." Hermione told him slightly confused.

"So you're right hand dominant." Dean told her, grabbing her right hand and bringing it out to the gun.

He wrapped her right hand around the base of the gun, then let her take the weight so she could initially get the feel of it.

"It's heavier than it looks." Hermione commented after feeling the pull from the weight in her shoulder.

"Yes, it is. When you position it, the base will go into your right shoulder, and you'll support the barrel with your left hand." Dean said.

"Like this?" Hermione asked, pulling the base into her shoulder, using her left hand on the barrel.

"Yes, but keep that damn barrel pointed at the ground before you give me a heart attack." Dean replied after seeing the barrel swing unchecked in the air as she slid the gun where he'd told her to.

Hermione blushed in embarrassment. She was used to getting things right the first time she tried.

Dean swallowed hard before moving behind her. He knew it needed to be done, but this would be the closest he'd physically been to Hermione, and she was already affecting him. Moving behind her, he realized just how short she really was next to him. Her head barely reached the top of his shoulder. Pushing the information to the back of his mind, he brought his arms around so his hands could help manipulate the movements of the gun.

Hermione nearly jumped at the warmth of Dean's arms as they brushed against hers. His hard chest pressed lightly against her back, and she fought the urge to push herself back against him. He pushed the base of the gun more firmly into her with his right hand and with his left aimed the barrel at the ground well in front of her feet so any shot wouldn't hurt either of them.

"Okay," Dean started, his breath rustling the fine hairs around Hermione's ear. "Your right hand is your trigger hand. Your right index finger will be the trigger finger." He moved her hand so it was positioned where it needed to be, her finger resting along the side of the barrel base. "Never rest your finger on the trigger unless you're getting ready to shoot."

Hermione nodded minutely to indicate she'd heard him, and understood the instruction given to her. Dean swallowed hard again before continuing his instructions.

"Your left hand will control the barrel of the gun. You will need to hold it tight and steady. This thing will kick when you fire, and you have to keep it aimed through the kick." Dean told her while placing her hand where it should be on the gun. When he was satisfied her hands on the gun were correct, he pulled away to check her stance.

"Before you shoot, your stance has to be correct as well. Your feet should be shoulder width apart, with your left foot slightly in front of your right. Bend your knees slightly and lean the rest of your body ever so slightly over the left leg. This helps counteract the kick so you don't fall over, and make it easier for you to change target direction if you have to." Dean explained, watching her as she worked her legs and body into the positions he directed. Everything looked right, and he was sure he wouldn't need to help make adjustments there.

He moved behind her once again, but didn't move his arms over hers again. "Now it's time to learn how to aim. Rule number one: it doesn't matter whether it's a shotgun, or a handgun, or whatever, you never aim it unless your intention is to shoot. Whether you ultimately do or not, depends on the situation, but you never aim a gun without initial intention." Dean told her, his voice steady, professional. "When you aim, keep both eyes open, you'll know better where you're aiming. Bring the barrel up, and aim it at the windshield of the blue car over there."

Hermione looked forward spotting a blue SUV a couple of rows away, the front of the car facing her direction. Slowly and carefully, she brought the barrel of the shotgun upwards in the general direction of the car he'd told her to shoot. "Where do I look to aim?" Hermione asked turning her head in his direction to look at him.

"Lean your head to the side and look straight down the barrel. Remember to keep both eyes open." Dean told her. He watched her careful movements just to make sure she was still in the correct stance, with her hold on the gun rock solid.

"Okay." She replied doing exactly as he'd instructed her. She used both eyes down the barrel of the shotgun to make sure it was pointed directly at the center of her target.

"Now, before you can shoot, you have to cock the gun. It sets the firing pin inside the gun so that when you pull the trigger, it sends the round, or in this case the salt, out of the barrel." Dean explained.

"Exactly how do I do that?" Questioned Hermione frowning.

Dean moved back in close to Hermione's back and reached around her once again, his left hand taking Hermione's and moving it to the slide underneath the barrel. Instead of simply instructing her further, he helped her cock the gun, and moved his hand with hers back to the barrel. He pressed her right finger gently into the trigger, but not enough to fire the gun. Moving his head so his mouth was at her ear, Dean took a deep, steady inhale, making sure he felt Hermione do the same. As soon as he felt her exhale, he pulled their index fingers together on the trigger.


	11. Fight Like a Girl

**A/n: I really do apologize for this chapter. It's overly short because I got writers block, and it stayed with me for this chapter only, during the editing process as well. Anywho, the characters don't belong to me, but to their creators.**

 **Chapter title inspiration: Fight Like a Girl- Kalie Shorr**

 **Chapter 11**

The roar of the gun shattered the silence surrounding Dean and Hermione. The kick pushed Hermione's shoulder back harder than she was expecting, pushing her back slightly into Dean's solid, warm chest. Immediately, Dean's right arm was around her waist from behind, and his left hand left the barrel of the gun, to drop to her hip. Hermione let the barrel of the gun swing down toward the ground when her brain registered that her hands were the only ones on it once again. Then a blush, worked its way up her neck, to blossom over her cheeks and ears, once she registered the pressure of Dean's arm just below her ribs, and the pressure of his hand at her hip.

Using his chest as a means to steady her upper body, Hermione worked her legs back under her, so that she was once again upright. Neither spoke until they had separated, both dealing with the intensity of the last few moments, combined with the sense of rightness his embrace had felt.

"Not bad for your first shot." Dean commented lightly, keeping his eyes trained on the massively cracked windshield he'd had her aiming at.

"Why didn't it break then?" Hermione asked, challenging him.

"It's just salt, not an actual round. Combine that with how far away the target is, means the salt wouldn't be going fast enough to penetrate the glass." He explained.

"You weren't kidding about the kick." She replied, turning her head to look at the hunter.

"Nope." Dean told her with a grin.

"So what's next?" Hermione asked.

"You're going to salt and burn the dummy of course." He replied, his grin growing into a full blown smile.

Hermione smiled right back, her mind noting how not only infectious she found his smile, but also how wonderful it made him look. It was a brilliant smile that made him look rather boyish, but in a good way. Having these thoughts were unfamiliar territory for her though. She'd never consciously thought that about a member of the opposite gender before. Not even Harry or Ron.

She followed him over to the hole she'd dug, where she could see the dummy at the bottom. Without saying a word, he handed her the salt to pour, then the gasoline. Finally, he handed over his Zippo. It took her a couple of tries, but she got it lit, and after a few seconds they had a fire going.

"So what's next?" Hermione asked, looking across the fire in the hole, at Dean.

"Hand to hand combat." Dean replied with a smirk.

Hermione's face paled. She looked down at herself, thinking there was no way she was going to be any good at that. She was short and skinny, he easily had a half a foot of height advantage, as well as quite a few pounds. "I'll probably be rubbish at it."

"It's not all about who has the height and weight advantage. It's about knowing how to control your opponent, and using what assets you do have, to your advantage." Dean explained, while he put out the fire that had been blazing.

"Okay." Hermione replied hesitantly.

"I won't get into too much with you today, we're just going to take a run around the yard so I can get a sense where you are stamina wise, then I'll run you through some exercises I want you to do daily. It'll keep you lose and you in shape to fight." Dean told her.

"I can do that." Hermione said, a small smile forming. She knew she could distance run easily, as she'd been doing a lot of that since she and her friends had become the top undesirables in her world.

Dean smirked at her. "You ready?" He asked, coming to stand beside her.

"Hope you can keep up." Hermione joked.

Dean counted to three, and the pair were off. They jogged down the row of cars to the perimeter of Bobby's property, where they followed the line all the way around. After a couple of laps, Hermione picked her pace up to a sprint, using longer and faster strides to pull ahead of the hunter. Dean chuckled to himself before pushing his stride to match hers.

Neither spoke, choosing to run in silence. Both however, were dissecting the moments and actions when she was being taught to shoot. Hermione wasn't denying the fact that she was hyper aware of Dean as a man. He was definitely strong, and she'd felt the warm muscles of his chest at her back, which had her nearly distracted, thinking about what they must look like. She'd never been distracted from learning anything once in her entire life. She was always studying, and wanting to learn, but now training with an attractive man was distracting her to no end. It was mildly frustrating, and she found herself mentally kicking herself for it. She had no business finding him attractive with everything going on. Tack on needing to learn about the supernatural and how to fight it, she knew she had her plate full.

Dean was struggling with his attraction to Hermione as well. He was feeling all sorts of guilty. He should be grieving, teaching Hermione to fight, and then returning her home so he could move on with whatever was left of his life. Not fighting his hormones. He wasn't a teenager for heaven's sake! However, when he would catch a glimpse of her from the corner of his eye, his focus was of course, drawn to the charm bouncing against her chest as she ran beside him. It had his hormones reacting in a way that had him mentally kicking himself. _It's not like anything could come of it._ At least that's what he told himself anyway.

By the time the pair had finished their third lap, both had decided they needed to bury their attraction to the other. Dean halted by the steps of the house, Hermione doing the same after a couple of paces. Her ponytail had loosened on the run, and sweat coated the roots. She lifted the hem of her camisole to wipe the sweat that was dripping down her face, before doing the same to her neck and chest, above the neckline of her top.

Dean shed his button down, and utilized the hem of his t-shirt in the same manner Hermione was. Both checked the other out from the corner of their eyes, telling themselves that it would be okay to look, just as long as they didn't act on it.

"Damn, you've got some stamina for long distance running." Dean complimented, taking a moment to catch his breath.

"Being considered the wizard version of a 'fugitive' will do that to you." Hermione cracked, a full blown smile on her face.

"Let's get some water before anything else." He suggested, jerking his head towards the house.

"Good idea." She replied.

She walked ahead of him into the house, nearly tripping over her own feet to get to the water in the kitchen. She hadn't realized how thirsty the run had made her, until he'd mentioned the refreshing liquid. Both drank their water down quickly before moving on with Hermione's training.


	12. Somebody to Die For

**A/n: Back to my regular length chapters. I could kick myself for 11! The beautiful characters I'm borrowing belong to J. K. Rowling and Eric Kripke.**

 **Chapter title inspiration: Somebody to Die For- Hurts**

 **Chapter 12**

For a week, Hermione continued her training. She read nearly every book Bobby owned, and soaked up all of the information Dean threw at her. They continued fighting their attraction to the other, never acknowledging it, especially during the more physical aspects of the training. She was getting better at fighting, even without Dean making it easier on her. She was keeping up with him, but not quite able to predict what he was going to do next so she could win. Her shooting was becoming better every day. She was getting her shots with real rounds on a target closer and closer to the bullseye. At night, she and Dean would share the bedroom, and would talk before falling asleep, avoiding any heavy topics like Sam and the wizarding world.

Dean was impressed with how far Hermione had come in her hand-to-hand combat training, and shooting lessons. Bobby was impressed at how she was soaking up the information he had in his books, and was even starting to have her help him with researching cases for other hunters who would call from time to time. The best part of having her living with them though, was the fact that she could cook, though both hunters learned fast that it was safer for them to stay out of the kitchen while she was working. She'd very obviously been working on the summoning charm she could do without her wand.

On day two of her training, she'd decided to make them dinner, a traditional English meal of bangers and mash. Dean and Bobby, being fairly useless in the kitchen decided the least they could do was sit in the kitchen at the table to keep her company. They'd talk shop, or listen to a funny story or two by Hermione about various things. All of the sudden, she'd stopped, and with a thoughtful expression muttered "accio flour." It'd been on a counter all the way across the room, and when it whizzed for her hand, it bashed Dean in the back of the head. Sending the container rolling through the air, with flour flying every which way. Hermione was embarrassed and helped the men clean it up after Dean's initial shout of "son of a bitch."

It hadn't been the only time something she'd summoned to her had hit Dean. He'd been walking behind her into the house after training when she'd remembered her sweatshirt was still in the yard. She'd laughed outright at the sight of her pink hoodie wrapped around Dean's head and face. He'd retaliated by hiding the pink sweatshirt while she was still sleeping. Luckily for him, she hadn't noticed it missing yet.

The end of every day had the trio looking for any way to get Hermione home, back to England, to help her friends win the war. Unfortunately, a week into her stay, there were still no answers to be found. Bobby had a few feelers out to hunters he trusted, but none had called with anything. Hermione was getting more and more nervous with each passing day that she wasn't going to be able to go home through any means but by airplane. She never brought this up to the hunters helping her, she refused to put voice to the thoughts and feelings she was having.

What no one knew though, was that things were about to change. Hermione was sitting in the house making a list for a grocery run. There was no training today because a storm had hit during the night, and the rain was still coming down heavily. While she'd insisted Dean could train her despite the bad weather, he insisted that after a week of heavy training, she'd earned an off day. So she sat making her list while Dean and Bobby poured over books and the internet for any way to get her home. They were all startled when a soft thumping sound came from the window in the living room. Upon inspection, Hermione realized the thumping on the window was coming from a brown and white speckled owl.

Rushing to the window Hermione began trying frantically to open it, ignoring the questioning look Dean and Bobby threw each other. When she couldn't get the window open, she made a dash for the door. Dean lifted himself from the chair and followed her at a more measured pace, ready to strike if this was some kind of planned surprise attack. He wasn't however, expecting her to come back inside with an envelope in her hands.

"What's that?" He asked gesturing to the letter she held.

"It's a letter." Hermione breathed, nervous about what it contained.

"From who? And follow up, why was it delivered by an owl?" Dean replied.

"I don't know from who, and it was delivered by owl because it's from the wizarding world. It's the wizarding equivalent of the muggle post." Hermione explained.

"Huh?" Dean asked, having never heard the term "post" used before to describe mail.

"She means the mail, idjit." Bobby's dry reply came from behind him.

"Oh." Was his only reply. "You should open it."

With shaking fingers, Hermione broke the unfamiliar wax seal. She pulled the paper from the envelope and opened it slowly. A sigh of relief escaped her at the sight of some very familiar handwriting.

 _How are you? Haven't heard from you in a while. Getting a little worried here. H, R, & B_

"Well?" Asked Dean impatiently.

"It's from Harry, Ron, and Ron's brother Bill. They managed to get a letter out!" Hermione let out excitedly. "It's innocuous to a ministry reader, but I know what they're asking, and if anyone can figure out my message back it'll, be them. Bill has connections with the people who put the portkey in place that brought me here."

She was looking into his eyes as she spoke. He could see everything she was feeling. She was excited, and hopeful, the emotions lightening her brown eyes. Her smile had also been growing with every word, until it was stretched wide across her mouth. Unconsciously the corners of his mouth were lifting into a slight smile. It was a break they'd been hoping for.

Her eyes darted to Bobby who was still sitting at his desk in the study, watching and studying the pair in his living room. "May I borrow a pen and some paper? I need to get some kind of word to them." Her words directed to the older hunter.

"Of course." He told her pulling a pen from his desk along with a sheet of paper from a notebook.

Hermione nearly ran to Bobby's desk to retrieve the items Bobby held out to her. She placed the paper on top of a book on the desk, and began to write hurriedly. Quickly she wrote:

 _I'm fine. Just trying to find my way, but having some difficulty. Crashing with friends in the meantime, but they're helping. I'm learning a lot. Don't worry. Stay focused. H, D, & B_

When she was done, she folded the page and stuck it back into the envelope. She took the envelope to the kitchen where she heated a spoon over the flame of a gas stove to reattach the seal. When she'd done so, she grabbed a small treat for the owl, and took both out to the porch where the owl was still waiting patiently. Dean watched from the door as she gave the treat and envelope to the owl and told it "Harry Potter." Immediately the owl took to the sky. Dean watched it fly off incredulously, while Hermione pressed her hands together, her fingertips at her lips hoping that her letter got to Harry, Ron, and Bill, and they'd be able to decipher her message.

A chilly wind pulled Dean from his silent musings. Fixing his eyes on Hermione, she was still standing in the same place, still watching the sky, but getting rain blown in her face.

"You want to come in before you get sick?" Dean asked injecting slight humor into his tone.

"I'm just sending some positive thoughts to the owl. I really hope it gets my letter to them." Hermione told him, not moving.

"I hope so too Hermione. But in the meantime, let's get inside." Dean told her moving to take her arm.

"I suppose there's nothing left to do but to hope." She told him looking up into his eyes again.

He nodded and gently pulled her back in to Bobby's house. Once inside the door, he released her arm and let her walk past him into the living room. Bobby looked up at them, a question he wanted to pose to Dean rolling in the back of his mind. Once Hermione and Dean were sitting he cleared his throat.

"Need a cough drop for that cough Bobby?" Dean asked picking up the laptop he'd been researching on that had been Sam's.

"Funny. Do you think Cas could help make sure that message gets to the right people safely?" Bobby asked.

"That's a good question. I wonder if he could angel zap us. Why didn't we think of this before?" Dean wondered.

"There's one way to find out." Bobby replied matter-of-factly.

"Cas, we could really use your help." Dean prayed.

Dean no sooner finished his short prayer, that Castiel appeared in the doorway between the study and living room with a whoosh.

"What is your question Dean?" Asked Castiel impatiently.

"What are you in a hurry for?" The young hunter replied, curious as to Castiel's obvious hurry.

"Things." Castiel replied vaguely.

"Hermione just got a letter from her friends. Do you think you can angel zap us to them?" Dean asked.

"Wizards and their world are very different from yours. I can't see them, or it as clearly as I can yours. It would not be wise for me to even attempt it." Castiel replied.

"Well then, can you make sure a letter gets delivered to her friends safely?" Dean replied, desperate for any kind of help.

"I sent it by owl a few minutes ago." Hermione said quietly from the seat she'd taken on the couch.

"I can watch over the owl while it is still in the non-magical world, but once it crosses over, I will no longer be able to ensure its delivery unscathed." Castiel replied.

"I suppose that will have to do, I mean it's better than nothing." Dean said running a hand down his face tiredly.

"Do you know the name of the owl?" Castiel asked, directing the question at Hermione. It was the first time Cas had spoken directly to her since she'd arrived.

"I don't. It was speckled brown and white. It's delivering a message to Harry Potter. At least that's where I told it to take the letter." Hermione replied, looking up at the angel, eyes wide with worry.

A touch of compassion rippled across Castiel's facial expression with her answer. "Thank you. I'll listen for it and keep an eye for as long as I am able." He replied, disappearing with another whoosh.

"He certainly knows how to make an entrance, and exit." Hermione said, a touch of sarcasm floating in her voice.

"That's just Cas. He's never been socially not awkward. He's gotten better since I first met him." Dean replied.

"How'd you meet?" She asked, her head tilting slightly to the side.

"Cas rescued me from Hell." Dean said quickly, his voice low. He plopped onto the couch next to her.

"Wait, Hell?" Hermione asked, her brows lowering into a frown. "As in the opposite of Heaven?"

"Is it so hard to believe after meeting an angel of the Lord, and reading about demons, not to mention other things that go bump in the night?" Dean asked raising a brow at her, his lips set in a slight smirk. He locked his green eyes on her brown ones, gauging her thoughts and feelings. Mostly she was registering shock, but he could see her trying to rationalize the information.

"I suppose not." She replied after a minute of rationalizing. He made a good point. After what she'd seen in the cemetery, being introduced to Castiel, and everything she'd been studying for the past week, the existence of Hell didn't seem that far of a stretch. "How'd you end up there?" She couldn't imagine this friendly, if not rough around the edges man in Hell.

"I made a deal for Sam's life. I got a year to live before being dragged there. I won't go into the details, but Hell is, well, hell, for lack of a better description. Castiel, like I said, went into Hell and dragged my soul out and brought me back. Woke up in a pine box six feet under." He replied shifting uncomfortably.

"Oh my…" Hermione whispered, the end of her sentence trailing off. Despite not knowing a lot about the hunter sitting next to her, she knew deep down that he never deserved to be there. She mentally thanked Cas for rescuing him, because if he hadn't, who knows where she'd be now. Before either could think about anything, Hermione had thrown her arms around Dean's neck, hugging him hard.

Dean's eyes widened, and shock was the first emotion he felt. His arms didn't immediately respond, but after a minute, he did return the fierce hug gently. The warmth that he'd felt when they'd hugged before, the one in his chest got warmer. It felt no longer like a candle, more like a camping fire. Not to mention, she just kind of fit in his arms. He still didn't know how, or why, nor did he care to really figure that out at the moment, he just basked in it before she gently pulled away, her face a flaming red color.

"Forgive me, I don't know where that came from. I suppose I'm just used to giving hugs to friends." Hermione said to him, her eyes casting down to where she'd dropped her hands in her lap.

"Don't worry about it." Dean replied, studying her closely.

"I just can't imagine you in a place such as that." Hermione whispered.

"It's not an experience I recommend." He replied, placing a gentle hand on her back.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry you were ever there." Hermione said, trying hard not to cry for the handsome hunter.

"It's not your fault, and that was over a year ago." Dean shrugged it off hoping she'd drop it. He didn't like her being upset. He especially didn't like that it was because of him, or well, his story.

Bobby had silently been reading his books, hoping to give Dean and Hermione some semblance of privacy while they talked. He had heard Dean tell her about him being in Hell, and even though he didn't give her much information, she'd handled it about as well as the rest of them. She seemed truly saddened by it. Bobby smiled slightly at the dry pages shaking his head. Yep, they were good for each other that was for sure.


	13. Eye of the Tiger

**A/n: I love these characters so much! Owners: J. K. Rowling and Eric Kripke.**

 **Chapter title inspiration: Eye of the Tiger- Survivor**

 **Chapter 13**

Somewhere, Heaven

An angel searched the minds of all his fathers winged creations for one with the name Harry Potter on the brain. The faint echoes of the name being repeated over and over from one such creature penetrated through the noise. Focusing in, he brought the bird into focus. He was nearing the blurry edge of the wizarding world. It seemed there was a favorable wind aiding its journey through the air, enabling the creature to travel faster.

Castiel thought for a moment about Dean and Hermione, and wondered what his father would think of the pair. She seemed kind, and good to Dean. She was quiet, and she gave precise answers. She seemed to be gentler around the edges where Dean was rough. She seemed tough in her own ways, but not in a manner that wasn't complimentary to his friend.

Focusing in on the owl once more, Castiel saw the bird safely across the magical border, and focused harder to see if he could keep tracking it. He had a hard time of it, but he was able to barely make out that the letter had indeed, made it safely into the hands of its intended.

Hogsmeade, England

The sun was just cresting over the buildings that lined the main drag of Hogsmeade, chasing away the shadows from there to the further buildings. One such building, at the very end of the lane, was still barely in shadow when Harry Potter rolled off the cot he had been sleeping in at Aberforth Dumbledore's small abode. A quick glace around the room told him that Ron and Bill Weasley were still asleep. Harry pulled on his jeans and a fairly clean shirt. He only had the few that Hermione had packed hastily. To his embarrassment, he was in charge of carrying around her beaded bag of stuff since she'd disappeared. He was hoping against all hope, that the owl Aberforth had let him borrow, had been able to get his innocuously worded message to Hermione, wherever it is she was. That was, if she still existed.

The tapping of something on the small, rectangular window just by his head, yanked him from his musings. The owl was back and was carrying an envelope in its beak. Harry hastily twisted the latch and opened the window allowing the bird inside. It blinked at him once and dropped the envelope into his hand. He was dismayed to see it was the same envelope that he'd sent Hermione's letter in, but the seal was raised slightly. It was the only indication that something was different. His breath caught, and quickly he broke the seal to pull out the lined paper haphazardly folded from within.

 _I'm fine. Just trying to find my way, but having some difficulty. Crashing with friends in the meantime, but they're helping. I'm learning a lot. Don't worry. Stay focused. H, D, & B_

Harry's breath left him in great relief as he read her words. She was alive, she was safe, and she'd found friends. He was assuming the friends she found were the D and the B she'd signed the letter with. Re-reading her words, he tried to figure out what had happened to her. She was trying to find her way. Her way where? How were her friends helping her? Learning a lot? He wasn't sure how she didn't know everything already. He and Ron were struggling even with Bill's help; Hermione would have been an even better help. He's sure she'd have everything figured out by now. Slightly confused about some of what she was trying to tell him, he woke Ron and Bill.

"She's alive!" Harry told Ron and Bill excitedly, as the redheads rubbed the sleep from their eyes.

"Who?" Ron asked, not quite fully awake yet.

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed.

"What!" Ron exclaimed in reply. "How do you know?"

"She got my letter and responded with one of her own." Harry told him handing her note over. Bill situated himself near to his younger brother so he could read her short message himself.

"She's lost, but she has found friends. She's having problems getting back. At least that's what I'm getting." Bill said rubbing his jaw.

"How could she have gotten lost?" Ron asked, confused.

"Is it possible she ran across a stray Order portkey?" Harry asked Bill.

"I suppose it's possible. I didn't have any direct involvement with their placement, but dad wanted the portkeys to be something muggles would be drawn to touch. It's possible she saw one and got curious about it." Bill replied.

"How do we get her back here? We need her!" Ron asked frantically.

Harry knew Hermione's disappearance had been harder on Ron than anyone. He suspected a crush, but knew Ron probably wouldn't tell him because he wouldn't want to be picked on about it. "I know we need her help. Goodness knows we've been barely keeping up with these horcruxes without her." Harry replied calmly.

"I need to get word to the Order so they can hopefully get one set up for her. We need to know her location though, and that'll possibly leave her and her new friends vulnerable to the Death Eaters." Bill said thoughtfully.

"I guess that's a risk we'll have to take." Harry replied, rising to get a piece of parchment and a quill from the damned beaded bag.

"Wait, I don't feel comfortable risking Hermione's safety like that." Ron said standing, his arms crossing across his chest.

"We have no other options Ron. She can't get back unless she comes by magical means. The Floo is ministry controlled, and they took over being able to track apparitions when Pius Thicknesse took over the ministry." Bill told his brother, rising slowly to dress.

"So our only recourse is to possibly put Hermione in danger?" Ron asked, his face going pale.

"Unfortunately yes. We need to find a different owl to send to her. Maybe it'll be enough that the ministry won't intercept our letter." Harry replied, folding his reply to put in the envelope.

"I'll go confer with Aberforth, and see what we can come up with. I'll also get word to The Order while I'm at it." Bill told Ron and Harry.

"Thank you Bill." Harry told the older Weasley.

"You're welcome Harry." Bill said closing the door to the room they'd slept in.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Hermione was bustling around Bobby's kitchen trying to get dinner fixed for her friends, as she was coming to think of them now, and the men were studiously avoiding the kitchen in fear of flying objects hitting their heads. However, the smell of her cooking permeating the air, was making their will to avoid the kitchen erode little by little. Dean didn't think he could pronounce the dish she was making, despite her telling him the name of it, but he was half tempted to sneak into the kitchen just to steal a taste of something. The memory of the flour tin making contact with the back of his head though reminded him as to why he wasn't going to do so.

He smiled thinking about her cooking for them. It was a long time since he'd had this many home cooked meals. Every so often he'd hear her summon something to her hand, and he'd smirk while keeping his eyes glued to the computer in his lap. He wasn't researching this time, just playing a lively game of Pac Man he'd Googled. The sounds of dinnerware reached his ears next, distracting him a little, causing him to lose the level.

"Son of a bitch." He muttered, glaring at the screen.

Looking at the hall that led from the living room, he closed the screen of the laptop, and risked another concussion to see if she wanted help in the kitchen. She was standing at the stove stirring something in a pan before pouring a sauce over some kind of meat in a glass dish. When she was done, she bent over to put the dish in the oven. He felt his face warm up as he admired her form from the angle she'd presented. If you'd have asked him, he'd have told you that the heat in his face was from the heat escaping the open oven door. She resumed stirring, this time something in a different pan. Dean decided now would be a good time to alert Hermione to his presence, before she startled herself by turning in his direction. Clearing his throat, Dean took a heavy step into the kitchen.

"Braving the kitchen again?" She asked lightly with a smile.

"I decided to face my fears. Hopefully I don't leave white again." Dean joked back. "Or with a big lump on the back of my head, messing up my hair."

She rolled her eyes laughing at him, turning back to the stove.

"Do you need any help?" He asked her, leaning against the counter next to the stove.

"Not really, unless you want to set the table." Hermione commented, not taking her eyes off of what she was doing.

"I think I can manage that." Dean replied smiling.

"Just don't break Bobby's plates please. I can't stop them from hitting the floor." She told him waving a spoon in his general direction.

"Wait, you can make things stop falling, so they don't hit the ground?" Dean asked turning back in her direction.

"When I have a wand, yeah." Hermione replied shrugging her shoulders.

"Is there anything you can't do with that wand you talk about?" He asked her again, this time taking the plates she'd set out to the table.

"Probably lots of things. I don't know everything." She told him. "If you ever tell Harry or Ron that I said that, I'll turn your laundry pink when you're least expecting it, and shoot birds at you when I get my wand back."

Dean's eyes grew wide at her threat. "You wouldn't!" He accused pointing the cutlery he'd pulled from the drawer at her.

She turned to face him, a less than innocent smile on her face, her eyes flashing with mischief. "Oh yes I would, try me!"

At that moment, Bobby walked into the kitchen on hearing the voices. He figured it'd be safe if Dean was in there. As it was, he was the one who'd gotten hit in the head the last time he'd been in the kitchen while Hermione was cooking. The sight he was greeted with brought a smile of amusement to his face. Dean was pointing cutlery at Hermione, and she was standing by the stove with her hands on her hips looking at him with an expression that said "cross me and you'll regret it."

Dean shook his head at the young witch and turned to continue setting the table. Hermione slowly turned back to the stove, opening the oven. He waited to say anything to her until she'd pulled a casserole dish from the oven and set it on the stove top.

"How did you convince this idjit to set the table?" Bobby asked jokingly.

"He offered to help Bobby." Hermione replied giving him a wide smile.

"Hey, you didn't need to tell him that!" Dean exclaimed.

"Why not? Afraid he'll make you work whenever you drop in on him now?" She challenged, and Bobby snorted.

"It makes me look domesticated." He replied crossing his arms. He looked to Hermione, like a little boy pretending to be grown up.

"What? You mean you're not housebroken?" Hermione asked faking incredulity.

Bobby roared in laughter when Dean's jaw dropped open. "Dean Winchester speechless is not a sight you see very often." He explained when Hermione looked to him. "Can't think of a good comeback can you son?" Bobby directed to Dean.

"You win that round." Dean told Hermione. "But only that round."

"Whatever you say. Dinner's ready. There may be something around here too for dessert if Dean can manage to behave himself at the table." Hermione told the men.

Both immediately made for their seats at the round kitchen table. Once they were tucked in, Hermione took their plates, filling them with food before getting her own. She set her plate in front of her chair at the table, the same one she'd sat in while Dean patched up her forearm. No sooner had she sat down, then a tapping noise that had nothing to do with cutlery and Corelle ware, was heard. Looking around she spotted a different owl perched on the exterior windowsill of the window above Bobby's kitchen sink. Sighing, she got back up and abandoned her food, before going to the window. Moments later she was sitting back in her seat with another sealed envelope in her hand. Breaking the seal, she was relieved to see that it was once again, written by Harry.

 _Maybe we could help too? Which friends? It's important. H, R, & B_

"Well?" Bobby asked gruffly.

"They can help. They can help get me home, but they need to know where I am." Hermione replied looking at each hunter.

"They want you to send your location to them by carrier pigeon?" Dean asked.

"They wouldn't ask if they didn't absolutely need to know." Hermione replied sensing that Dean was not entirely on board with the idea.

"There's got to be another way. I won't have you risking your safety, or ours for that matter, to get word to your friends." Dean said heatedly.

"Seriously? I've been here for a week! In that week, we've had zero leads on how to get me home for the war that Cas has told Bobby is coming. I have to get back there, and my friends can help." Hermione replied, eyes flashing in anger.

"We'll get you home another way, this is dangerous." Dean told her, an unnamed fear gripping his chest. He did not appreciate that she was willing to put herself in danger to get home. Hell, he'd only been half truthful with her when saying she was risking hers, and their safety. Truth be told, he wasn't worried about his and Bobby's safety. They could handle their own, and if he died, at least he would have gone down swinging. He could not fathom anything happening to Hermione though, that was the fact that was driving his anger.

"There is no other way." Hermione pointed out calmly, hoping her calm demeanor would settle whatever was making Dean angry. "Bobby?" She looked to the older hunter for some back up."

"Son, she's right and you know it. We've had no leads at all, and Cas did say a full scale attack was coming." Bobby said, his voice gruff but calm.

"What if there was a way to do it without her having to write our address on a sheet of paper?" Dean asked suddenly, the anger gone from his voice.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Bear with me for a moment here, but before, when Sam was, um, seeing Ruby, she taught him a locating spell. He taught it to me. What if we had her send them a map, and the spell, and instructions. It would be somewhat less dangerous, assuming the whatever people her friends are up against, wouldn't know what to do with it." Dean laid out what he was thinking.

"I need to know some more details about this spell. I would need to give them detailed instructions. Very detailed, in order for it to work." Hermione replied thinking on it for a moment, and deciding it wasn't a bad plan.

Dean and Bobby explained what Harry would need to do, what words to chant over the map, before lighting it on fire from the corners. There was also a sequence in Latin to say before commanding the fire to die. Dean assured Hermione when she questioned him about how accurate the result would be that it would provide them with an exact street address for Singer Salvage.

After the trio ate, Hermione wrote out the instructions and put them and a map of South Dakota in an envelope, sealing it, and sending it off with the owl that hand brought her Harry's letter. Everyone waited with baited breath to see what was going to happen next.


	14. She Waits

**A/n: Lovely characters owned by Rowling and Kripke.**

 **Chapter title inspiration- She Waits- Louden Swain**

 **Chapter 14**

It was another long week of training for Hermione, who was still waiting to hear something from Harry. It was making her more distracted than her first week with the hunters, and Dean was about at his wits end. She wasn't fighting as well as she had been. She wasn't getting better, and in some ways, was doing worse at target shooting. There were a number of times Dean had found himself biting his tongue before he ripped her a new one, like he would have done, and had done before with Sam. She needed to know this for the battle Cas assured them waited for her.

He stalked silently back towards Bobby's house after telling Hermione that they needed to take a break. He wasn't happy, and he wasn't sure how to get her head back into training mode. He couldn't imagine anything happening to her because he couldn't train her half way decently. While she went to clean up a bit, Dean wandered into the study where Bobby was researching a hunt for Rufus.

"How's it going?" Bobby asked without looking up, when Dean plopped himself in a chair opposite him.

"She's distracted, and it's making her regress." Dean said lowly, rubbing a hand down his face tiredly.

"Can you blame her?" Asked Bobby.

"No, but I also know we can't send Hermione back there without her being able to defend herself either." Dean replied.

"You tell her your plan yet?" Bobby asked finally closing the big, dusty book that he'd been reading.

"No." It was the only thing Dean had to say about that.

"So what do you want to do about Hermione being too distracted?" Bobby asked.

"I don't know. If she were Sam, I'd take her on a real hunt." Dean replied honestly. "I don't think she's anywhere near ready for that though. And I've been on the verge of yelling at her a number of times now."

"What if she were to go on a hunt with the both of us. I just caught wind of a djinn not too far from here. There's safety in numbers, and we know how to kill it." Bobby told Dean slapping a map of Iowa in front of him.

"Cedar Rapids?" Dean asked looking at it.

"Yeah, we could pack up, hunt the djinn down ourselves." Bobby replied.

"Those fuckers mess with the head. If I was inclined to take her on a hunt, I'd prefer a routine salt and burn." Dean replied setting the map back down on the desk and sitting back in the chair.

"The only one I've heard of lately is one I gave to Garth days ago." Bobby replied. "If she's as distracted as you say she is, maybe a djinn hunt is better than nothing to get her back on track."

"I suppose it's an idea to consider. Has she even read about a djinn?" Dean asked his hand absently rubbing over the stubble growing back on his chin.

"Are you kidding? She's read every book I own!" Bobby exclaimed. "I have information in more than one book about the djinn, so I'm sure she's aware of their existence at least."

"Well that's something at least. I'm going to see what the Impala's stocked with and I'll let you know." Dean said rising. He left the study, and the house, deep in thought about Bobby's idea to take a very distracted Hermione on a hunt. His mind was resisting the idea, throwing images of Hermione getting captured and drained, but on the other hand, he was seriously considering showing her what facing these creatures was going to be like.

Hermione meanwhile, was upstairs taking her time cleaning herself up. Dean had flipped her into some mud while they were sparring. She knew she was distracted, waiting for something from Harry, and a week having passed was making her worried. She also knew the distraction was making it hard for her to concentrate, which was pissing Dean off. She knew he was mad at her when he pinned her after an easily defendable attack. When he'd helped her up, it wasn't with his usual grace, and his jaw had been twitching as if he was clenching his jaw over, and over again. When it had happened again, his eyes had gotten suspicious then hard, and the hardness hadn't gone away. It made her sad when he'd looked at her that way.

While she showered she berated herself mentally for becoming too distracted. For making Dean mad at her. She was a good student. She never let anything get in the way of her learning anything, and now she had started. She had put her worries above her training. Training that could help save not only her life, whenever she got home for the attack Voldemort was planning, but also her friends lives too. She banged her head gently off one of the walls of the shower before getting out. She resolved to be better, to be stronger. She was going to prove to Dean, and everyone else, that she could shut the distraction and worry off and be useful.

With her resolve in place, she dressed in a pair of jeans, a plain black t-shirt, and a pair of sneakers and went in search of the hunters she was living with. What she didn't expect to find was the pair packing.

"What's going on?" She asked watching Bobby shove some books into a canvas bag.

"We're going on a hunt, the three of us." Dean replied brushing past her to go up the stairs. "Pack for a few days gone."

Flustered, Hermione followed Dean up the stairs to the bedroom they'd been sharing since she'd arrived. She watched him pull a duffle bag onto the bed he'd been sleeping in, and start shoving clothes in it. After a moment, she started pulling clothes she would need for the hunt and placing them in a Walmart bag.

"Here." Dean said placing his duffle bag on her bed next to where she was packing. "You can pack your stuff in here." He told her when she'd looked up at him with a curious expression.

"Thanks." She said softly starting to move her stuff from her Walmart bag to the duffle. She tried very hard not to look in the bag to see what he'd packed.

Once she was done, Dean zipped up the bag and jerked his head for her to follow. He carried the bag from the bedroom, straight to the Impala, placing it in the trunk. Bobby came out of the house then, shutting the door and locking it behind him.

"I'll follow you two. Don't be stopping every ten minutes." Bobby told Hermione and Dean.

"See you there." Dean replied moving to get into the driver's seat.

Hermione quickly made her way to the passenger door and dropped into the seat. Baby's engine roared to life, and Dean wasted no time peeling out of Bobby's drive. Once they were speeding down the highway towards Iowa, Dean put on one of his Metallica tapes. He tapped the drum beat on the steering wheel for a while, even lip synced a couple of songs, but he didn't speak to Hermione as they traveled.

They were half way between Des Moines and Cedar Rapids when they stopped so Bobby and Dean could gas up their cars. Hermione took the opportunity to hit the bathroom, where she took care of business and splashed cold water on her face. The silence in the car was heavy, despite the constant music blaring through the speakers. She just wanted him to be friendly with her again. She couldn't stand him being mad, and plying her with stony silence. She just didn't know how to reach him.

When she reached the Impala, they were already done, so she slid in and they were off once again. A few minutes into their drive, Hermione decided the silence had gone on for too long.

"So, what are we hunting?" Hermione asked pitching her voice slightly above the music.

Dean leaned over and turned the music down for the first time since he'd started burning through the same tapes he'd had since forever. "We're hunting a djinn." He replied simply.

"A genie?" She asked, turning slightly in her seat to look at him.

"Exactly. They have been around for centuries and are even mentioned in the Koran." He explained remembering the information Sam had given him years ago when they'd hunted one then.

"They feed off of people's blood right?" She asked.

"That's right." Dean replied simply. "They're nasty fuckers. They like to hole up in abandoned warehouses. There's more places to hide themselves, and their victims."

"Great, so what's the plan?" Hermione asked clearing her mind of everything, except information having to do with the djinn, so that she could absorb whatever Dean told her.

"The plan is to get to Cedar Rapids, get a motel and a map that'll tell us where any abandoned warehouses are. Then it's a case of searching every one until we find the right one." Dean said.

"How do we kill it?" She asked.

"Silver knife dipped in lamb's blood. We'll find some when we get to Cedar Rapids, before we go find the thing." He replied.

"Some what? Lambs blood, silver knife, or both?" She asked.

"Lambs blood. Already got silver knives." Dean said glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. She was paying absolute attention to every word he was saying which gave him a little hope that they'd get through this hunt with no problems.

"Have you ever hunted one before?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah, almost 4 years ago now. Sam and I caught wind of something, and it turned out to be a djinn." Dean replied not wanting to recall that particular hunt for reasons. He wouldn't go into the details with her either.

"Okay." She replied. She'd run out of questions which meant the car was about to return to its original state. Heaving a sigh, she got as comfortable as she could while Dean turned the music back to its original volume.

Once the trio hit Cedar Rapids, they got 2 connecting rooms at a dingy motel. While Bobby set up the information for the hunt, Dean made a run to a diner for food. When he got back, everyone ate and discussed how they were going to handle the search for the djinn. There were more abandoned buildings that could be the place where they were holing up, than either Bobby or Dean were prepared for.

The decision was made that the trio had to split up. She'd be going with Dean to search with him, and Bobby would go off on his own. Bobby had found a place to pick up the lamb's blood, and would be doing so before they headed out the next morning. By nine, everyone was ready to rest. Dean unzipped his duffle to get a t-shirt to sleep in then stepped aside so Hermione could get her pajamas. They were sharing a room here, and he let her use the bathroom first. When she exited she was wearing a pair of capri length yoga pants and a thin grey shirt that fell off of one shoulder. It was so thin that when the light hit her just right, Dean could see right through it, which didn't help him with the feelings he'd been fighting.

A sharp pang of lust ripped through him causing a familiar, uncomfortable feeling in his jeans. When her back was turned he made a mad dash for the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. Hermione just assumed that he'd slammed the bathroom door simply because he was still mad at her. She had no idea that Dean had a situation in his pants that needed to be addressed, and fast. She crawled into one of the beds and listened to the sound of the shower running in her head how to apologize.

Meanwhile, Dean was standing under the cold water spraying through the shower head, trying to stop the images that were assaulting his brain. Images of a curly haired brunette, with expressive brown eyes, her body pressed as close to his as it possibly could be. His brain even conjured up the idea of what she would sound like moaning his name. Shaking his head, he tried to counter his overactive imagination by picturing Sam falling into the cage with Lucifer and Michael, Sam being stabbed in the back by Jake, his dad being possessed by the yellow-eyed demon, and a possessed Bobby stabbing himself to save Dean, and becoming paralyzed. Slowly the visions Hermione's super thin, see through top had evoked receded, and the effects had gone down. Shortly thereafter, he turned the water off and dressed. By the time he exited the bathroom, Hermione was sleeping already. He drank a beer and watched her sleep for a while before turning in himself. They had a long day ahead of them tomorrow.

The next morning everyone was up early and dressed. Bobby not only picked up the lamb's blood, but also breakfast for everyone from a diner nearby. Once they were done, Dean and Bobby prepped the silver knives from the arsenal hidden in the Impala's trunk, that Hermione had no clue existed until then.

When they were ready, Bobby took off leaving Dean and Hermione to go off searching for the djinn on their own. They headed to the eastern part of Cedar Rapids. The first abandoned warehouse they came across, Dean pulled in and cut the engine.

"Stay close to me, we do not separate for any reason." Dean told her, his voice hard, and brooked no argument.

"Okay." Hermione replied taking the silver knife Dean offered to her.

They exited the Impala and entered the warehouse, Dean shining a flashlight ahead of them. Room after room, they searched coming up with nothing. The second warehouse they went to was more of the same, nothing was there either. It was coming up on lunchtime when they reached the third. It was an abandoned factory that had three semi attached buildings.

"How are we going to tackle this one?" Hermione questioned looking at all of the buildings around them.

"We take it one at a time. Like I said, stay close." Dean replied looking around as well. He didn't like how this one was laid out. There was way too much hiding space, and should something go wrong, meant he'd have to wait for Bobby before he could attempt finding her. Pushing down his fear, he entered the factory, Hermione directly behind him.

The first building didn't show any signs of anything, or anyone being there. So Dean and Hermione moved wordlessly through a walk way between buildings. The flashlight cut a path in front of them. Dean made sure any room was inspected for anything hiding within. When nothing was found, they moved on. All of the sudden, Dean's hunter senses were triggered. He could sense someone following them. Hermione didn't notice the shift in Dean's posture from offensive, to defensive. If she had, she'd have moved closer to the hunter.

Dean swung around to look behind him, and Hermione made her mistake. She stepped so she was standing to the side of him, and took an extra step, so he could see. It was a split second later that she felt herself grabbed from behind, a hand over her mouth and nose so she couldn't alert Dean, before everything went black.


	15. Wanted

**A/n: Still hanging in there with me? Yay! Characters still belong to their creators, and their creators are not me.**

 **Chapter title inspiration: Wanted- Hunter Hayes**

 **Chapter 15**

Hogwarts

Hermione woke from her sleep with a gasp. The first thing she registered was that she was lying in a bed, a very comfortable bed, and there was a heavy arm draped over her waist from behind. She felt the warmth of someone's chest pressed into her back, and it comforted her. Turning her head, she saw Dean, sound asleep, his breathing completely even, and face relaxed, almost happy looking.

Carefully sitting up, she took stock of this new situation she found herself in. Dean was sleeping peacefully next to her, which was her deepest hidden desire realized, but there was more. Her left ring finger felt unfamiliarly heavy. Looking down, she noticed two things. The first, being the sparkly engagement and wedding rings nestled on her finger. Beyond that, her stomach was swollen a bit, as if she were pregnant. But how could that be? Her and Dean were supposed to be on a hunt, and he was supposed to be mad at her.

The room was fairly familiar, like those she'd slept in at Hogwarts, but slightly different as well. Looking around, she spotted a photo of her and Dean, on what she supposed would have been their wedding day, judging by the fact that she was wearing a flowy white dress, and he was in a tux. Weird. Another scan of the room revealed a letter, in a frame, hanging on the wall. Getting out of bed, she walked over to it. It was a letter from Minerva McGonagall to Hermione, offering her a job as a charms professor.

Shaking her head, she looked over to Dean who was still sleeping away, his matching wedding band to hers gleaming in the morning light. She grabbed a robe that was on a nearby chair, and left the bedroom, where she exited into a sitting room. There was a bunch of unopen letters sitting on a table next to an oversized couch. She went over to them and decided to see who they were getting letters from.

The first was a letter addressed to Hermione Winchester, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the return address indicated the letter was from her parents in London. She ripped the letter open and began to read:

 _Hermione,_

 _We hope all is well with you and your family. We miss seeing you and Dean, more so now that you're carrying our granddaughter. We should plan a visit soon, maybe you can come during winter holiday. Think it over and let us know. Perhaps Dean can invite his father figure from the States to join us. We love you all._

 _Love,_

 _Mum and Dad_

Hermione sat on the couch shocked. She'd wiped her parent's memory of her. She'd planted the idea that they should move to Australia, to keep them safe from Voldemort. _Why were they still here? How was she a professor? What happened to the dark lord?_

Her mind swirling with questions, she shifted through the other envelopes in her lap. There was one addressed to Dean from Singer Salvage, and one addressed to them both from Harry and Ginny Potter. She set aside the letter addressed only to Dean, and broke the seal on the letter from Harry and Ginny. It was an invitation to James Sirius Potter's first birthday. Blinking in confusion, Hermione set all of the discovered mail aside. _What was going on here?_

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she hadn't heard Dean join her on the couch. She jumped when he placed a gentle hand on her knee.

"You look like you're thinking hard about something. What's up?" He asked her gently.

"I don't know. I thought I was supposed to be on a hunt with you." She told him, angling her head to look at him.

"Babe, we haven't hunted in years. Not since Sam died, and I helped you win the war against Voldemort." Dean reminded her gently. She seemed a little spooked, if not confused.

"Really?" She asked.

"Really. It's been 3 years." Dean reminded her gently. "You feeling okay?"

"I guess so, I just… I don't know." Hermione said trying to wrap her brain around everything.

"Well we've better get a move on, we've got classes to teach." Dean told her, kissing Hermione quickly but tenderly on the cheek before getting off the sofa.

"We?" She asked.

"Yeah, you've got Charms, and I've got a full day of Supernatural Beings." Dean told her from the bedroom where she found him putting on jeans and a red plaid flannel shirt over a plain black t-shirt.

"Okay." Hermione replied, moving to a closet where she found not only muggle clothing, but wizarding robes as well.

She pulled out a wizarding robe and dressed for the day, still confused as to why she had no memory of the last 3 years, including her wedding, and apparent pregnancy. When she was done, she turned to see Dean eyeing her.

"I don't like those robes. It hides your figure." Dean said frowning.

"Wait, what?" Hermione asked confused.

"I like seeing my pregnant wife's figure. Is that such a crime?" Dean asked moving to stand in front of her, caressing her swollen stomach with his fingertips.

"No, I'm sort of surprised. That's all. I'm fat." She said, hoping she sounded convincing.

"You're not fat. You're baking our daughter." Dean said smiling down at his very beautiful wife.

"You think you're funny." Hermione replied smiling back at him.

"I know I'm funny, but what are you?" Dean asked, his brilliant green eyes lighting up with joy.

"How old are you? Two?" Hermione cracked back.

"Hey now, I thought I proved how adult I can be." He whispered in her ear seductively.

"I'm thinking that's how I ended up pregnant in the first place." Hermione replied, her hands coming to rest on his hips, her thumbs rubbing the area just above the waistband of his jeans.

With a groan, Dean kissed his wife on the forehead then pulled away from her. "You keep that up lovely wife, and we won't be in any shape to leave this room." He told her.

Hermione grinned widely. She didn't care anymore why she'd forgotten the last 3 years of her life, all she cared about was what she had.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Dean swung the flashlight around again, looking for whatever was following them. When he didn't find anything, he turned to address Hermione, but she wasn't behind him. Panic hit Dean hard when he couldn't find her anywhere in the near vicinity to his being.

"HERMIONE!" He yelled, swinging the flashlight around frantically looking for her.

When she didn't immediately appear, he tore down the hallway, through another hallway, all the way through the second building, finding absolutely nothing. His panic was rising with every minute that passed, and his hope sank with every empty corridor, and room he found. He knew he had to call Bobby for help, and he had to get out of the factory to do that, in order for him not to be taken as well. Quickly he made his way back to Baby, parked right where he'd left her. He squatted down by the passenger door taking a few deep breaths before whipping out his phone, and dialing Bobby's number. The older hunter, who was west of where Dean was, answered on the first ring.

"What've you got?" Bobby asked in lieu of a greeting.

"Found the djinn, but Bobby, they've got Hermione." Dean said, his voice getting shaky on Hermione's name.

"What happened?" Bobby asked, his voice rising a bit.

"All I know is she was behind me, I swung around to see if we were being followed because I sensed it, and when I turned around again she was gone." Dean replied, sounding like a child who'd been thoroughly scolded.

"All right, you need to tell me where you are. I'll help you search." Bobby said with a sigh.

"We're at an abandoned factory. It has 3 connected buildings, there's nothing in the first two, and I haven't figured out how to get to the third yet. Factory's on the corner of Springfield and Main." Dean replied.

"Sit tight, be there in ten. Be prepared to move, we don't have tons of time to find her before they drain her." Bobby told the young hunter.

"Hurry Bobby." It was all Dean could say before the line went dead.

He turned to look at the factory buildings, his hands crossing at the back of his head. He hoped they'd find her in time. He also hoped that she wouldn't be mind fucked too badly.

Hogwarts

It had been a busy day of teaching for Hermione. The first years were hyped up, and the seventh years were either exhibiting a bad case of senioritis, or acting like they knew everything already. She was ready to pull her hair out when her handsome husband appeared in her doorway.

"Hey you, how was your day?" He asked leaning against the door jam.

"Long. These kids are exhausting. It's days like today I don't know why I decided to become a teacher." Hermione replied, plopping her head into her hands.

Dean pushed himself to his feet, and walked over to where his wife was sitting in a chair behind her desk. He placed his hands on her shoulders, and started kneading them. Hermione moaned and dropped her head back so she could look at him. "That feels nice." She said smiling up at him.

"I wanted to do something nice for you, after having such a long day." He told her, his voice quiet and gentle.

"Thank you. What are the plans for tonight?" She asked having heard something earlier about a staff meeting, and dinner in the Great Hall.

"We have about an hour before we have to meet everybody for dinner and a meeting. Something to do with staffing to student ratio issues." Dean replied, continuing to rub his wife's shoulders.

"Lovely, so I can change into something a little more comfortable?" She asked bringing her left hand up to cover his right hand.

"Yeah, we've got the time." He commented.

He helped her out of her chair, and walked with her, hand in hand, to their rooms in the staff wing of Hogwarts. When they got there, Dean plopped on the couch with their mail, while she went in their bedroom. Opening their closet, Hermione spotted a pair of blue jeans that were her size, and a purple, maternity, tunic style top. When she was dressed, she ran a brush through her curls to tame them slightly. Once she was all done, she stepped back and appraised herself in the mirror. She was married, and pregnant, and her eyes revealed her happiness. This was everything she wanted. The war was over, she was married to Dean, pregnant with their daughter, Harry was happily married to Ginny, and they had a little one of their own. Everybody was happy, and she couldn't ask for more than that.

Turning, she went to exit the bedroom to join her husband in the sitting room when there was a flash of white light, and she thought she saw a man, hanging from a rope by his hands, which were bound above him. He looked completely emaciated. As if the life had been completely drained from him. She shivered at the sight, before it disappeared, leaving behind no trace that it had happened. In fact, all she saw was Dean, sitting on the couch reading a letter.

"Who's it from?" She asked, joining him.

"Bobby. He says he misses us, and would love to have us come for a visit, but would understand if we couldn't with your condition. He's preparing to go on a werewolf hunt." Dean told her, angling the letter so she could see the words on the page.

 _Dean,_

 _How's life son? Keeping that pretty wife of yours happy? Would love to see you kids sometime, but would understand if you can't travel, with Hermione being pregnant and all. I'm going to Texas to hunt down a werewolf with Rufus. He's an old pain in the ass, same as ever I suppose. Miss you idjits._

 _Bobby_

Hermione smiled at the gruff tone she'd come to recognize as Bobby Singer's default. He didn't do the mushy feely stuff, much like Dean hadn't when they'd first met.

"What about inviting him to holiday at my parents in London?" Hermione asked Dean, resting her head on his shoulder and relinquishing the letter back to him.

"I think a family holiday would be nice, but how would we get him there?" He replied pressing his cheek to the top of his wife's head.

"I'm sure I could set up a portkey to bring him here, then we could all travel together to my parents' place in London." Hermione suggested, her arms coming up to wrap around her husband from the side.

"I think he'd like that." Dean replied, one arm coming around to hold her. He'd never get enough of feeling her close like this. He'd lost so much in his life; his dad, brother, countless friends, but he couldn't lose his wife. He wouldn't survive it.

"Okay love, it's time to go to our meeting." Hermione said, looking at the clock over the television across from them.

"I suppose." Dean said heaving a sigh. "Wonder if Ron and Lavender have made up yet? Or will this be another amusing staff meeting?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at his antics, but her heart swelled with love for this man. He was everything she ever wanted, and she wasn't letting him go. Ever.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Bobby arrived at the warehouse, and parked next to the Impala. Dean wasn't looking so good, he thought when he saw him. Dean was paler than normal, glaring at the factory, and pacing like a wild animal who'd been shoved into a cage. Bobby got out of the car and walked over to him.

"We're going to find her, son." Bobby said gently.

"I know, and I'm going to kill those sons of bitches." Dean said, his voice cold.

"Okay, you said you checked the first two buildings and nothing?" Bobby checked.

"Yes, best guess is she's somewhere in the third." Dean replied gesturing to the building on the far left.

"Okay, maybe we should find a way into the third from out here, that way we're not wasting time by going through the other two buildings again." Bobby suggested.

"Fine by me." Dean said starting to walk towards the building with a hurried pace. Within moments, the hunters found a broken window, low enough to the ground that they could get through. Clicking on their flashlights, they began their search for Hermione.

One by one, room after room, they searched, until they found a door for a basement. Bobby nodded to Dean, who carefully pushed it open and started to descend. When they reached the bottom, their breaths were about taken away at the sight.

Hermione was hanging from the ceiling by her hands, rope binding her hands and wrists together, and a needle with an IV bag coming off of it protruded from her neck. The amount of blood in the bag told Dean that the situation was dire for her. As if that wasn't the only clue how bad it was. Her skin was as white as the sheets in the motel room they were staying in, her eyes had very dark bruising around them, as if she'd been beaten into submission. Her hair that was usually shiny and full, was now lackluster and flat. Dean felt his heart break at the sight.

Steeling himself he looked around for the djinn, but not seeing anything other than the dead bodies also hanging from the ceiling. When the coast was determined, for the moment, clear, Dean ran to Hermione, pulling the needle that had been draining her blood from her neck. He gently patted her cheeks, and called her name to bring her out of the comatose state she was in, but she wasn't responding. He checked for a pulse, and nearly cried when he found a faint one. He cut her from her bonds, and gently lowered her to the floor. He kept her body close to his hoping his warmth would help warm her up, and bring her out of the djinn's alternate reality.

Bobby was busy checking the other victims out, before turning his focus to Dean and Hermione. Dean had lowered her to the ground, with her upper body in his lap. He kept rubbing her arms, and saying her name, anything to get her to wake up. When she continued to not respond, Bobby knew they had to attempt getting her out of the building before going after the djinn. Unfortunately, before he could say anything, the djinn came back.

Bobby attacked, but the djinn was able to block him. He tried attacking using a different method, but that too was blocked. Dean, hearing the commotion, lowered Hermione so that she was laying on the ground. He threw his coat over her, and grabbed a knife. The djinn was too busy fighting Bobby, that it didn't notice Dean come up behind it, jamming the knife right into its back. Bobby watched its eyes flicker blue a couple of times, before it dropped to the floor, dead. A weak moan sounded from the floor where Hermione was. Dean was off and back to her side as fast as he could manage, noticing her eyes flicking around behind her eyelids.

"Why isn't she waking up?" Dean asked Bobby.

"I don't know. Maybe she's not fighting to get back. Maybe whatever dream world the djinn dropped her in, is tempting her to stay." Bobby replied shoving his hands in his pockets.

"She has to fight. She can't go out like this. There's got to be some way." Dean said frantically.

Hogwarts

The staff meeting was going on around Hermione, but she wasn't feeling good. Something was feeling off. She kept seeing bright flashes of light, and the strange beings strung up by their hands and arms. At one point, she thought she felt someone slapping at her cheeks, and calling her name. A voice that sounded exactly like Dean's, however, she couldn't be sure as she'd never heard him speak in that tone of voice before. And it didn't make sense. _Why would Dean be calling to her so frantically when she was sitting right next to him?_

Another flash of light and she heard Dean's unmistakable voice saying: "She has to fight. She can't go out like this. There's got to be some way." _Was she dying?_ She looked around at the faces around her.

Dean her husband, Minerva McGonagall her colleague and headmistress, Ron and Lavender Weasley, Neville and Luna Longbottom, Hagrid, and others. Everyone was there, everything looked like she wanted it to look, but she had to find out for sure if it was what was real. Another flash of light, and she was off and running for it, to the protest of everyone else in the Great Hall. She had to find out for sure if this was real, or not.


	16. Angel

**A/n: I adore the characters Rowling and Kripke created for me to play with. They're still not mine though.**

 **Chapter title inspiration: Angel- Theory of a Deadman**

 **Chapter 16**

An irritating beeping noise cut through the blackness Hermione was experiencing. It was rhythmic, slow, and constant. Eventually it faded back out, and the silent blackness reigned once again. It seemed an eternity had passed, before the beeping cut through the haze once again. This time though, there were a few more senses that were engaging. She could sense that her body felt like a lead weight. She could also sense that her right hand felt warmer than her left hand, but she couldn't figure out why. Hermione tried opening her eyes, but couldn't.

She let the silent blackness take over once again, and just floated there for a while. It seemed to be a shorter span of time before sound came back. The beeping was still there, but this time, there were also voices.

"Dean, you need to get out of here for a while, son. Take a shower, eat something. For goodness sake, this isn't good for you." Bobby's voice gentle, but stern.

"I'm not leaving." Dean's voice held a stubbornness that she was becoming familiar with.

"You staying and neglecting yourself isn't going to bring her out of it any faster." Bobby said, his footsteps sounding.

"Yeah, well, I'm not leaving here until she wakes up." Dean replied. Hermione imagined him adjusting himself in his seat to show his defiance.

"It could be hours, it could be days before she does that. Go, I'll stay with her and call you immediately if she wakes." Bobby replied. She could picture the stern expression Bobby would be plying Dean with.

Before she could try and respond, the blank blackness enveloped her once more.

When she came back to her senses again, she felt more alert than the other times she'd been conscious. The room was silent, with the exception of whatever machine was still beeping away. She was still feeling like she was made of lead, but she could also feel pain in her face. That was a new sensation. She also registered, that her right hand still felt slightly warmer than the left. She attempted opening her eyes, and immediately regretted it when the fluorescent light above her, hurt. She pressed her eyes closed, and tried moving her head so she could try opening her eyes from a different angle. It worked, and she found herself looking directly to her right.

There was a machine on the wall that was recording her heart rate, blood pressure, pulse ox, and respirations. It was also the source of the beeping, she found out. There were also 2 IV's hanging by her bed, running into her arm at the elbow. She also felt something under her nose, tickling the skin there. Lifting her left hand, she felt a nasal cannula that was supplying her oxygen.

Turning her head, she looked at the rest of the hospital room she'd deducted she was in. It was small, just her bed, and had a glass sliding door. Sitting by her legs was Dean. He'd fallen asleep, head on one bent arm that was resting next to her legs, his other arm positioned so he had his hand on hers. Hermione allowed herself a soft smile at him, before remembering how it was that she'd landed here.

She'd remembered that Bobby and Dean were taking her on a hunt for a djinn. That she'd stepped too far away from him, and had gotten grabbed. She'd tried to fight, but she'd been knocked out. She remembered the dream world she'd been dropped into, where she and Dean were married, with a baby on the way. She'd had her dream job, and Dean had been able to quit hunting. Unimaginable pain lanced through her though at the thought that it wasn't reality. It was just a dream, a wish she never allowed herself to hope for. In the harsh light of the hospital room, she came to the realization that her dream world was never going to exist. There were always going to be monsters that Dean would need to hunt. He wouldn't give that up for her.

Tears built up in her eyes, and she used her left hand to pinch the bridge of her nose despite the pain it put her in. She couldn't wake Dean, and have him see her like this. Unfortunately, she hadn't realized that she'd accidentally moved her right hand and woken him.

Dean rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, hoping he hadn't been feeling things when he'd felt Hermione's hand shift slightly under his. He'd just gotten back from getting a quick bite to eat, and a shower, relieving Bobby of his babysitting duties. He felt guilty as hell, first, for almost getting her killed, and then, for leaving her while he attended to his own needs. The feelings he'd been burying for the last couple of weeks were getting out of control for the time she'd been out. He was scared that she'd never wake up, that he would have to watch her die too.

Looking around, he saw Hermione, her eyes squeezed shut, and her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Hermione?" He asked tentatively, hoping he wasn't dreaming.

"Dean?" She asked, her eyes flying open, her hand dropping from her face.

Dean could see the tears gathered in her brown eyes. "Are you okay?" He asked and cringed. What a stupid question for someone stuck in a hospital as the patient.

"I'm guessing based on the amount of IV's in my arm, the fact that you look like you haven't slept in a month, and that I feel weak means I'm not so okay." Hermione tried to crack, her voice a little wobbly because of the pain she was feeling over her dream world not being real.

"Are you in pain?" He asked not daring to squeeze her hand.

"My face hurts." She admitted.

"It looks like you took a couple of really hard hits to the face. That's probably why." Dean explained, his tone guarded.

"Oh." It was all she could say. Dean reached up and hit the signal for the nurse and stood, removing his hand from hers. That act alone made Hermione want to curl up and bawl her eyes out. She wouldn't though, not when he was right here in the room with her.

At that moment, a nurse about Hermione's height and build, but with blond straight hair, walked into the room and eyed Dean up like he was a piece of meat. It annoyed her and she cleared her throat to break the moment. The nurse looked to Hermione, her blue eyes flashing her an annoyed look. "Oh, you're awake." She said as if she was surprised.

"I just woke up. How long have I been out?" She asked using quite a bit of her low energy to bring her hands to her stomach. She tried to block out how she had put her hands in a similar position when she'd discovered she was pregnant in her dream world.

"I'll have the doctor on call come and check you out. He'll be able to answer any questions you have Miss. Granger." The nurse said turning on her heel, and giving Dean one last appraising look. Hermione allowed herself to shoot the nurses back a slight glare.

After she left, Dean excused himself to go get Bobby and let him know she was awake. When she was alone, she examined her empty left hand and perfectly flat stomach hidden under the blankets. _Never going to happen Hermione_ , she told herself. A couple of tears slid down her cheeks, but she didn't make a move to wipe them away. She let herself mourn the future she'd never have, no matter how badly she wanted it. She was supposed to be focusing on her friends and the war, but for some reason her focus had been forced to shift to noticing Dean as a man. It was an experience she'd never had before. Unfortunately, her heart wanted more when she couldn't have it.

Before Dean returned, the doctor came in to talk to her. He was tall, almost Dean's height, but he had slightly darker hair, and curlier, but with blue eyes instead of green. He introduced himself as Doctor Benedict.

"Miss. Granger, you're lucky your friends brought you in when they did. If you'd have lost any more blood, you wouldn't have survived." Doctor Benedict told her.

"How am I still alive then?" Hermione asked.

"We did a number of transfusions, and you've been on a steady iron and saline drip to help keep your blood pressure up, while also encouraging red blood cell reproduction." He replied, his kind smile lighting up his brilliant blue eyes.

"How long before I get out of here?" She asked twisting her fingers together.

"We'll keep you one more night for observation, but we'll discharge you tomorrow. I recommend a diet high with iron, red meats especially. It'll help build you back up. I'm sure you're feeling a little weak, and that's perfectly normal considering the amount of blood you lost." Doctor Benedict replied.

"Very well, you're the doctor." Hermione said smiling at the kind doctor.

"I also want to encourage you to get on a multivitamin to help build up all the other minerals you've lost as well." He added.

"Okay done." She heard from behind the doctor. Her eyes widened and shifted to Dean and Bobby who were standing in the doorway behind the doctor. She wasn't sure how long they'd been there, but they'd heard the part about her taking a multivitamin.

"Good, well, I'll see you tomorrow Miss. Granger before we discharge you." The doctor continued taking notes on her chart.

When he was done with his writing, he shook Hermione's hand and left the room with a last smile in her direction. She returned the smile, but missed the glare Dean shot at the doctor's back. Once he left she accepted an awkward hug from Bobby. She filled the hunters in on what the doctor told her, about her new diet recommendations, and that she'd be released to go home the next morning. She questioned them about how long she'd been out, and was surprised when they'd told her she was out for two, nearing three days.

After a while, Bobby went out to bring her food so she didn't have to eat hospital food, leaving her and Dean alone for the first time since she'd first woken up. He sat in the same chair he had been sitting in when she'd woken, but didn't take her hand. He sat, his forearms resting on his bent knees, staring down at the floor.

"I'm sorry." He told her quietly.

"For what?" Hermione asked.

"I shouldn't have brought you on this hunt. I've been under the influence of the djinn, and I know how badly they can mess with your head." Dean replied.

"Why didn't you warn me about it?" She asked, her voice weak but harsh.

"I should have. There's no good reason for why I didn't." He replied, his voice resigned.

"Okay." She said simply, choosing to forgive him. He was used to hunting with someone who knew what the monsters were capable of.

"I do want to know what happened back there, but I won't press you about it until you're out of here. Don't need anyone accidentally overhearing that conversation." Dean told her, his green eyes finally meeting hers.

"I understand." Hermione replied.

The pair lapsed into silence, waiting for Bobby to return with food so she could start building her strength back up. When he did, he immediately knew there was tension between Dean and Hermione. He figured it had to do with the hunt, though Hermione also seemed a tad depressed to him. He figured it had to do with whatever she saw when she was under the influence of the djinn, but he wasn't about to press her about what it was she saw.

Once she'd eaten, she was once again tired. She yawned widely and snuggled down on the mattress under the blankets covering her small body. The hunters said their goodbyes and went back to their motel room.

The next morning dawned sunny, not a cloud in the sky. Dean and Bobby were at the hospital the moment visiting hours started so they'd be there when Hermione was released. Her color was better now that she was awake and taking nourishment by mouth. They'd brought her the pajamas from the first night they'd spent in town, along with her undergarments. They'd wanted her to be comfortable. She had thanked them for her clothes, and even allowed Dean to help her to the bathroom so that she could change and brush her hair.

She pulled her hair into a ponytail using the hair tie that she kept wrapped around the handle of her brush. She washed her face the best she could, and swished some mouthwash around in her mouth. She couldn't wait until she could take a shower, or a bath, or something just to clean up a little bit more. Her hair definitely needed a deep cleaning. When she left the bathroom, Doctor Benedict was there to discharge her. He smiled at her when she came out, and offered to help her to a wheelchair he'd brought with him. She accepted his assistance happily, while Dean sulked silently.

"It's that time Miss. Granger, time to bust out of here." He told her, his friendly smile firmly intact.

"Thank you doctor, I'm glad to be out." Hermione replied smiling back.

"I see the nurses took out your IV lines." The doctor commented, handing her a paper to sign.

"Yeah, at 6 o'clock this morning." Hermione grumbled, shakily signing her name to the paper in front of her.

"I'm sorry about that, it's routine at shift change." The doctor said apologetically.

"Is there anything we need to keep our eye on?" Dean asked forcefully from the corner he'd been standing in since the doctor had come in, and helped Hermione to the wheelchair. He wasn't happy about that; he was capable of helping her get somewhere without her falling thank you very much.

"Just encourage her to take vitamins, and keep to her diet for at least a week or two to regain her strength. If it doesn't return in a couple of weeks, get her in to see a doctor. They can do a red blood cell count and see if she needs to go on iron pills." The doctor replied shifting his attention to Dean, his demeanor professional.

"I'm sure I'll be in good hands." Hermione soothed over the tense exchange from her seat.

"That you are." Dean commented lowly, his arms crossed over his chest.

When all the paperwork was signed, Bobby pushed Hermione in the wheelchair to the exit while Dean brought the Impala to the door. When they got there, Dean wrapped his arm around her waist, holding most of her weight so she could walk to the door without falling. He settled her in the front seat of the Impala and drove them back to the motel. When they got there, he helped her into the room they were sharing, and lowered her to her bed. He helped her remove the sneakers she'd been wearing, and she swung her legs in the bed while he propped pillows behind her back so she could sit up. Dean went to the refrigerator, grabbed a beer, then made sure the door between theirs, and Bobby's room was shut and locked, before training his intense gaze on her.

"What the hell happened back there?" Dean asked harshly.

"Back where Dean?" Hermione asked, her defenses rising immediately.

"The factory. Getting taken by the djinn. How did that happen?" He asked her, taking another swig off the beer he'd opened.

"I sidestepped you when you swung around to look behind you. I thought I was giving you a better view." Hermione snapped back.

"Then what?" He asked taking a deep breath.

"I took another step back in case you wanted to take a step, just so I was certain to be out of your way, then I was grabbed around the mouth and nose so I couldn't alert you. I tried fighting it, I really did, but it was faster, and stronger. The next thing I know…" Hermione said then stopped herself abruptly.

"So that's where the bruises came from?" Dean asked already knowing the answer to his question.

"Yeah, I used everything you taught me." Hermione told him crossing her arms in front of her.

"Obviously I should have started training you with listening to a direct order!" Dean whipped at her, his green eyes flashing with anger.

"What?" Hermione questioned, her spine straightening so she was sitting upright without the support of the pillows, and headboard behind her.

"Don't pull that on me, I told you to stay close to me at all times!" He replied placing both hands at the foot of her bed, and leaning some of his weight on them.

"I did!" She exclaimed back, her voice raised. "I was right beside you when I was taken. I knew instantly that I'd taken one step too many when I was grabbed, so I fought the way you taught me to!" With every word her voice rose in pitch until she was yelling.

"That's a careless mistake Hermione! That step almost cost you your damn life!" Dean yelled back matching her volume.

"You think I don't know that? I took that one step to help you! I figured out my mistake and tried to take out that djinn, but I failed okay? Happy now? I failed!" Hermione yelled back, her eyes welling with angry tears.

"No, that doesn't make me happy. It makes me guilty as hell because I couldn't protect you!" Dean yelled back. "This is why I wanted to take you on a hunt, because you needed your head put back on track."

"I'm sorry for getting distracted Dean. That has never happened to me before, and I wasn't prepared for it. I didn't know how to pull myself together, because I've never needed to." Hermione explained, her voice lowering in defeat. She crossed her fingers in her lap and dropped back onto the pillows. Staring at her fingers, she felt her tears start to fall. "I'm worried about my friends, they're in so much danger, and they were risking their lives to get word to me. Then going a week without hearing anything, I started to assume the worst. It took over everything else, and I didn't know how to stop it. I'm trying, I really am."

All the anger drained out of Dean at the sight of the tears slipping down her cheeks. He hadn't meant to make her cry, but he'd been so scared from the minute he'd found her nearly lifeless. He didn't know how to react to his fear without losing his temper. Sam would have been able to vouch for that fact, as he'd been on the receiving end of his temper plenty of times in the past.

"I'm sorry." Dean apologized softly. "I didn't mean to snap."

"I'm sorry I snapped too. I'm sorry I've been so distracted." She said, her voice broken, the tears falling faster. "I knew from the start you were mad at me, and I tried to do better, but I couldn't."

"Hey now." Dean said gently, sitting on the bed and scooting himself so he could place an arm around her shoulders. He pulled slightly so her head was resting in his shoulder. "You made a mistake we've all made. I went after a djinn by myself and got caught. Sam had to rescue me. I didn't mean to lose it; I just don't deal with things very well."

All Hermione could do was nod. She was relieved their fight was over, but she was also depressed and mourning the loss of her dream world. Dean was surprisingly tender with her as she cried everything out. He didn't press her to talk, though he wondered what she saw when she was under. He wanted to ask, but he bit his tongue.

Before long, Hermione's sobs stopped, and her breathing evened out. She fell asleep on his shoulder. Her last thought was that at least she'd be able to rest in at least one of his arms once, before she'd have to go home.


	17. Never Say Never

**A/n: Still don't own these beloved characters.**

 **Chapter title inspiration: Never Say Never- The Fray**

 **Chapter 17**

They'd been back at Bobby's for a couple of days, and Hermione was gaining more strength, and more energy, with every day that passed. Dean kept an eye on her at all times, going so far as to toning down his drill sergeant like training techniques to accommodate her. He even researched what foods she was supposed to be eating, and making her get them when they went on a grocery run.

If she thought Dean was bad, Bobby was just as bad, if not worse. He wasn't letting her do much to help him, claiming that when she wasn't doing modified training with Dean, she needed to be resting. One day he'd insisted she go up to her bed to nap, and she ended up accidentally walking in on Dean, who had just taken off his shirt. She backed out of the room, blushing furiously before he discovered her, and rushed down to rest on the couch for the afternoon.

On the third day back from their hunt, an owl pecking at the window interrupted her post training rest. She'd been listening to Bobby and Dean discuss a case another hunter named Rufus was on. It sounded to her like a shifter, but then again, she hadn't read of a shifter case where the shifter was a baby, in any of Bobby's books that she'd read. Getting up, she saw the first owl Harry, Ron, and Bill had used to send her a letter sitting on the windowsill of the living room window. Her movement brought Bobby and Dean's attention to her. They watched her take the envelope from the bird and break the seal. Her gasp alerted them that something big was happening.

Hermione read Harry's words a few times, blinking to keep the tears from blurring her vision. The Order had done it; a portkey would be appearing in the yard at Singer Salvage the next morning. This was it, she'd have to say goodbye to the two hunters who had come to mean so much to her, especially Dean. She turned her back to Bobby and Dean so they wouldn't see her tears, she was failing at fighting them back.

Dean watched Hermione turn her back, and her shoulders drop. His stomach dropped, wondering what news the letter contained. He figured it wasn't good whatever it was. He rised from the chair, and made his way over to her slowly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. His other hand came around her body to take the letter from her hand. He read:

 _They've been able to set it up. See you tomorrow morning. H, R, & B_

His stomach dropped. This was it. She was leaving tomorrow morning for her world. He took a deep breath reminding himself of the plan he had, even though she didn't know it. He had a plan, and he would make sure it went off without a hitch. So it was happening sooner than he would have liked? They were sending her back before she'd recovered from her near death experience. It only made his resolve stronger.

He felt how shaky her breathing was, and knew she was crying. Why, he couldn't have told you. "Your friends did it. They're getting you home tomorrow." He said softly so as not to give anything away.

"They did." She said just as quietly. "I can't thank you and Bobby enough for taking me in when you didn't have to. You could have just left me in that cemetery almost three weeks ago, but you didn't. You both mean a lot to me."

"No, don't say goodbye yet. You don't have to say goodbye to two run down, crabby, hunters." Dean replied, setting aside the letter and bringing his other hand up to her other shoulder.

"You're more than just that to me. You guys rescued me, took me in, let me live with you, trained me, spent way too much on me. You guys are kind, though rough around the edges. I can never repay the kindness you have bestowed on me." She replied giving in to the urge to lean back and rest against Dean's muscled chest.

He took a deep breath feeling her back come in contact with his chest. Again, there was something so right feeling about their semi embrace. Suddenly, she stood and stepped away from him, making her way to Bobby, and throwing her arms around his neck. Dean felt his throat tighten uncomfortably at the sight of her embracing Bobby.

Bobby's arms awkwardly came up to rest on Hermione's upper back as he hugged her back. In a short time, she'd become like a daughter to him, and now it was time for her to return home. He just hoped she wouldn't be too mad at them if Dean's plan came to fruition. "Thank you so much for your kindness Bobby. I could never repay your generosity." She whispered in his ear, so as not to embarrass the older hunter.

"It's nothing. If you're ever in this neck of the woods again, you're always welcome here. The door is metaphorically open any time, day or night." Bobby whispered back sincerely.

She pulled back from the hug and moved to give Dean a proper hug. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him down into a firm hug. Dean pulled her close, his arms around her waist, and pressed his cheek against her head. He'd come to care about this young woman deeply in a short period of time. "Be happy." She whispered to him, her breath caressing his ear, and the fine hairs surrounding it. "I know Sam would want that for you, and so do I."

Dean was too overwhelmed by her kind words to respond verbally, so he just squeezed her a little harder to acknowledge that he'd heard her loud and clear. It steeled his resolve. "Go ahead and pack your stuff in my duffle if you want." He told her when he beat back the emotions rushing through him at a blinding speed.

"Thank you Dean, that's very kind." She said pulling out of the hug.

He gave her a crooked smile, and then cracked a joke about having had one long chick flick moment. Rolling her eyes, she laughed lightly, and climbed the stairs to pack the few things she had. When the men heard the bedroom door shut, they looked to each other.

"And so it starts." Bobby said, moving to take care of his end of Dean's careful planning.

Hours later, everyone in the house was fed dinner, and it was nearing time for everyone to turn in for the night. Dean drank his typical glass of scotch after Hermione had fallen asleep to help himself to sleep. Even though he knew they were getting up early, he still felt the need for a sleeping aid. He had too many memories causing nightmares, especially now that Hermione had almost died on his watch.

Climbing the stairs, he cleared his brain methodically of everything. When he opened the door to the room he'd been sharing with the young witch, he was shocked to see her tossing and turning so much. She hadn't done much of that since the nightmares of being tortured had faded. He watched her arm reach out, as if she were searching for something, only to fall to the bed, her crying out as if she were in agony. Making a split second decision, he walked past his bed to Hermione's, where he pulled the blankets and sheet back, and slid in behind her. Immediately her body relaxed and stopped its restless movements. He pulled her back snugly into his chest, his arm around her waist and buried his nose in her hair. Moments later he was asleep.

Hermione knew she was dreaming again. She was dreaming about resting once again in Dean's arms. Unfortunately, the dream felt as real to her as the djinn induced dream world, and it made her sad. That was, until she realized she wasn't unconscious, and she really couldn't move well. She cracked her eyes open and saw in the little light there was, that Dean's bed was empty. Lifting her head, she looked around until she saw the arm draped around her waist. She followed the arm to the body it was attached to, her eyes widening seeing Dean sleeping, just as he was in her dream world. His face was peaceful, almost happy looking. He looked years younger, like he didn't have a care in the world. She smiled gently at him then worked her way out of the bed, hoping she wouldn't wake him. When she looked back, his breathing was still even, and his eyes were closed.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she grabbed a pair of blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and the pink hoodie that her and Dean joked about her getting, and the same one that had been intercepted by his head when she'd summoned it to her. He'd tried hiding it after that incident, however, she'd found it. The pink hoodie held happy memories of Dean for her, so she decided to wear it into whatever she would face at home. She slipped into the bathroom, changing out of her pajama pants and sleep shirt, and into her outfit. She snuck back into the bedroom, shoved the pajamas into Dean's duffle, and sat down on his unslept in bed to put on her sneakers. Once they were laced, she pulled a hair tie from around her wrist, and pulled her hair in a ponytail while committing the sight of Dean asleep and peaceful to her memory.

Once there was no way for her to stall any longer, she kissed her fingertips and placed them gently on Dean's cheek, then she turned and exited the room with his duffle. She let herself out the front door to sit and wait for the portkey. So far, nothing out of the ordinary had turned up in Bobby's front yard, so she plopped herself on the steps to wait. The sound of the front door startled her, and she was relieved when it was only Bobby coming out. He was already dressed for the day she noticed.

"Thought you were going to leave without saying goodbye?" He asked sitting in a chair near the front door.

"Thought I did that yesterday." She quipped back, refusing to look at him for fear of crying again.

"Couldn't live with myself if I didn't see you off now." Bobby said smiling at the back of her head.

"You're such a softie Bobby." Hermione told him.

"Shh, don't go telling my secrets." He lightly scolded her.

"I promise not to tell a soul." She vowed.

Another hour later, and the sun was climbing further up the horizon, into the sky. The early morning shadows casting over the front yard. Suddenly, a rubber duck appeared on the gravel drive, just in front of the Impala. She stood and moved toward it, inspecting it for a moment. She remembered a conversation Harry had relayed to her, about how Ron's dad had asked him the function of a rubber duck, back when they were second years. She instinctively knew that this was her portkey. She turned and went back to the porch to pick up the duffle bag.

"This is it." She told Bobby, her eyes watering instantaneously.

"Hate to see you go kiddo." He told her, pulling her in for a hug.

She squeezed her eyes shut to stop the tears building from falling. She pulled herself from the embrace, turning to walk over to the seemingly insignificant object right in front of Baby. She looked over Dean's pride and joy one last time, committing the pretty car to memory. Suddenly, she heard the slamming of Bobby's front door. Whipping around, she saw Dean barreling toward her, dressed in his normal hunting gear. Jeans, check. T-shirt, check. Button down with the sleeves cuffed to his elbows, check. She smiled when he skidded to a stop in front of her.

"What? Come to say goodbye too?" She asked her eyes bright with tears, locking onto his frantic green ones.

"What kind of friend doesn't say goodbye?" He asked her with a wink.

She laughed, and wrapped her arms around him for a quick hug, that he returned. When they separated, he walked with her to the front of the Impala, and looked down at the rubber duck she was looking at closely.

"What's with the rubber duck?" Dean asked, his brows pulling together in a quizzical frown.

"It's my portkey set up by The Order. Harry's, and my friend Ron, his dad asked Harry one time what the function of a rubber duck was. He knew I'd see it and understand where it came from." Hermione explained.

Dean's eyebrows rose in surprise. Who didn't know what a rubber duck was for? He figured everyone knew that. He shook his head figuring that wasn't the oddest thing he'd ever heard before. "Interesting." Was all he could think to say in response.

"Yeah, some of the people in my world are quite something. I wish you could meet them." Hermione told him.

"Me too." He replied.

"I suppose it's time." Hermione said gently.

"I suppose so." Dean said, his eyes fixating on something behind her. Before she knew what was going on, Dean had grabbed her around the waist, and Bobby had her hand, and the three were off, Dean's hand clutching the rubber duck as tight as he could.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

The ground came up hard under the three passengers' feet, knocking all of them to the ground. The only reason Hermione fell, was because Dean had lost his balance and fallen backward, pulling her down on top of him. She blushed profusely, before lifting herself off of him, and looking around. They were in the courtyard in front of Hogwarts, surrounded by members of The Order. She let out a happy cry, dropping Dean's duffle to the groud. Remus was the first to embrace her, followed by Molly Weasley, the twins, Fred and George, Arthur Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebold, and Fleur Weasley. Each fussed over her, reiterating how worried they'd been when she'd just disappeared from Shell Cottage, without a trace.

Dean and Bobby watched the scene, overwhelmed at the greeting Hermione received from just these people. It was obvious to them that these people cared greatly for her. They stayed quiet taking, in a little of their surroundings before there were introductions to worry about. They were in a stone courtyard, that much they could tell, and the building behind them looked like a castle. But that couldn't be, could it? Then again, Dean had been surprised to learn that there were witches that didn't get their powers from demons, so at this point anything could be possible, he surmised.

Hermione's voice broke Bobby and Dean from their thoughts, and they turned to focus on what she was saying.

"I'm okay, thankfully I met friends who were willing to help me." She told the group of people.

"Are they the friends?" A short, plump woman, with red hair asked Hermione.

"Yeah, and I'm not entirely sure how this happened." Hermione replied, her hands going to her hips. "Which one of you planned this?"

Bobby looked at Dean, and Dean looked anywhere but at Hermione or Bobby. "I should have known." Hermione said, her voice laced with slight humor. Of course Dean Winchester wouldn't let her go off to fight a wizard war alone.

"You going to introduce us?" George asked Hermione.

Hermione moved to stand between Bobby and Dean. "This here is Bobby Singer." She addressed the group, placing her hand on Bobby's shoulder. "And this here is Dean Winchester." She placed her hand lightly on Dean's shoulder. "They're hunters from America."

The Order members took a collective step back at the word: hunters. "Hunters, Hermione?" Fred asked.

"Yes hunters, and before you get your wands all in a knot, they're not going to hurt us. They're apparently here to help us. Voldemort has been recruiting forces in the supernatural world to fight. One's we have had no knowledge about. We're going to need their expertise to help us." Hermione explained.

It took a minute for the information Hermione gave them to sink in. For witches and wizards to be in front of hunters was dangerous. However, Hermione was the brightest witch of her age. If she said that they could trust these men, they could. Fred and George were the first to accept Hermione's word, stepping forward fearlessly to greet Bobby and Dean with hearty handshakes. Remus was next, shaking their hands before pressing his ear to the door to the Great Hall as if he were listening for something. While the remaining members of The Order greeted Hermione's friends, she moved next to Remus so she could listen in to. She could hear Snape, the new headmaster after Dumbledore's death, giving a speech about Harry.

"If anyone has knowledge of Mr. Potter's movements this evening, I invite them to step forward…now." Snape said in his distinctive drawl.

Hermione could hear movement and muttering inside followed by Harry's voice.

"It seems despite your exhaustive defensive strategies…"

At that moment Remus pushed the doors to the Great Hall and led everyone, including Dean, Bobby, and Hermione inside standing in a wide arc. Harry continued after surveying the group:

"You still have a bit of a security problem, Headmaster. How dare you stand where he stood! A man who trusted you. Tell them how it happened that night. Tell them, how you looked him in the eye, and killed him."

Hermione watched with wide eyes as Snape raised his wand and pointed it directly at Harry. Harry already had his wand, in hand, ready to defend himself. Professor McGonagall instead, shoved him out of the way, her own wand at the ready. Hermione watched as her beloved transfiguration professor, cast spell after spell at Snape, who aptly blocked every one. Neither skilled witch and wizard ever uttering aloud what spell they were using.

As suddenly as the duel had started, it ended when McGonagall's curses hit a couple of Death Eaters, and Snape aparated out of the window at the front of the long hall. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, her hand coming up to her chest as cheers arose around her. She watched the fires relight the room, and chanced a look at Dean and Bobby who were standing behind a couple of members of The Order. They were looking rather shell shocked. She gave them a small smile before turning her attention to her friend who was looking all kinds of relieved.

She watched as Ron made his way down a row of students, pulling off his Gryffindoor robes. He stopped in his tracks when he made eye contact with Hermione, and she gave him a small smile as well. Before she could reunite with her friends however, Harry collapsed, and blood curdling screams arose from either side of the room, as a presence that weighed down the air, pressed in on them all.

Dean moved quickly to Hermione's side, having noted the changes in the room. He watched a room full of students, covering their ears as two girls screamed at the top of their lungs. As suddenly as the screaming started, it suddenly stopped, and a whisper could be heard in the air.

"I know that many of you will want to fight. Some of you may even think to fight is wise. But this is a folly. Give me Harry Potter. Do this and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave Hogwarts untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have one hour." It said.

When the fire raised up once again, a girl in an odd looking dress, pointed to a kid wearing a t-shirt and jeans, who wore funny looking glasses, and said something about getting him. It surprised Dean when not only a red headed girl stepped out in front of the kid, but Hermione did at the same time. Dean's heart clenched, until more and more people gathered around the kid with the glasses, as if defying anyone who would want to take him to "creepy voice," as Dean had named him in his head.

More commotion arose when a guy, who looked old enough to be Dean's great-great-great grandfather, came running into the large stone room, yelling about the students not being in their beds.

"They're supposed to be out of their beds, you blithering idiot." Said the older witch he'd seen take on the one deemed "headmaster," by the kid with the funny looking glasses.

"Oh… Sorry ma'am" The man replied looking chagrined.

The elderly woman said, in a very firm voice, a manner as to take charge of a situation "As it happens Mr. Filch, your arrival is most opportune. If you would, I would like you please, to lead Ms. Parkinson, and the rest of Slytherin house from the hall."

Dean's eyes raised in shock at the air of authority the witch exuded. It was an air he'd only seen once before in Ellen Harvelle. It was a trait he had come to admire.

"Exactly where is it I'll be leading them to ma'am?" The ancient man with long bedraggled hair and creepy sounding voice asked.

"The dungeons will do." The older witch replied coldly, before turning her back. The remainder of the students burst into applause with the announcement.

You could have blown Bobby and Dean over with a feather in that moment. There was a dungeon in a school? Why? What kind of school had Hermione attended all those years?

As the older wizard moved to do as the authoritative witch instructed, Hermione had a reunion with her friends, embracing both Ron and Harry at the same time. They returned her hug, squeezing her tightly. They'd been worried about her, and glad she was back with them, safe and sound. Dean and Bobby moved around a few people they hadn't met yet, and watched the reunion.

When the trio broke their hug, she got her bag and wand handed back from Harry.

"I've been hanging onto these for you." He told her quietly.

"Thank you. It's been torture being without my wand." Hermione told him, playfully punching him in the arm.

"I bet, but you probably got some practice casting spells without a wand." Ron said excitedly.

"My summoning charm without a wand is getting better, and better, just ask my friends." Hermione told Ron and Harry, gesturing behind her where she could feel Dean staring at her.

"You brought your friends with you?" Harry asked confused.

"It wasn't intentional on my part." Hermione said rolling her eyes, and moving to the side so she could introduce her old and new friends.

"Harry, Ron, this is Dean Winchester, and Bobby Singer, guys these are my friends from when we were 11 years old. Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley." She said gesturing as to who was who.

Harry pleasantly shook Bobby and Dean's hands with a thank you to each of them for taking care of his best friend, and quote, "brains of the operation."

Bobby and Dean laughed at Harry's description of Hermione. After watching her plow through Bobby's library within a week, they figured the description was apt.

Ron however was eyeing Dean like he didn't trust him to be alone with anyone, most especially Hermione. He offered a handshake to both though. When Dean squeezed Ron's hand, Ron squeezed harder. Figuring he was about to engage in a battle of wills, Dean forced his hand to relax and pull away before he broke the ginger boy's hand.


	18. Red

**A/n: Characters belong to J. K. Rowling and Eric Kripke.**

 **Chapter title inspiration: Red- Taylor Swift (Don't judge, the lyrics fit even if the melody doesn't.)**

 **Chapter 18**

Students hung around watching the reunion of old friends, and the introduction of new ones, when Professor McGonagall stepped through, headed directly for the group.

"I presume you have a reason for returning Potter, what is it you need?" She asked addressing Harry.

"Time professor, as much as you can get me." Harry replied.

"Miss. Granger, who are your friends?" McGonagall asked, arching an inquisitorial brow.

"Bobby Singer, and Dean Winchester, Professor. They're here to help us. Voldemort has recruited creatures we've no knowledge about that they do." Hermione explained quickly.

"Very well, nice to meet you gentlemen." She said to Bobby and Dean. She then turned her attention back to Harry. "Do what you have to do. I'll secure the castle."

"What's going on? Why are we here?" Hermione asked Harry, while also reacquainting her hand with her wand.

"There's a horcrux, it has to be here. Something to do with Rowena Ravenclaw. Cho and Luna think it could be some kind of crown thing." Harry explained.

"That's right, Ravenclaw's lost diadem." Hermione said recalling the story easily. "We need to find the thing and destroy it with the sword of Gryffindoor."

"About that…" Ron started. "Griphook took it. It was either that or this." He finished pulling a golden goblet from his pocket. She knew instantly it was another of Voldemort's horcruxes.

"Lovely." Hermione replied rolling her eyes.

Meanwhile, the hall had erupted in students and professors moving in every which way. It was being announced that first and second years were being evacuated, while every available adult was encouraged to help assist in putting protective enchantments around the school.

Harry turned to leave the hall, telling Neville to hold the fort, with Ron trailing behind him. They left Hermione standing with Bobby and Dean in the Great Hall.

"Great." She muttered, more to herself than the hunters who could hear her clearly. "They need to stop, think, and plan. They're going to get themselves killed."

Taking a deep breath, Dean watched as the meek young woman he'd met changed right before his eyes into a take charge, no nonsense, badass. She sent Bobby to observe the witch who had told Harry she'd protect the castle for as long as he would need. Bobby was at first taken back by the forceful, commanding tone coming from Hermione, but didn't argue. This was her world, her expertise not his. Turning on his heel, Bobby did as he was told.

"You're with me." Hermione told Dean, not giving him a chance to respond, before running out of the Great Hall towards Harry and Ron, who hadn't gotten too far.

They were standing at the top of a staircase landing, waiting for a group of students to rush in front of them first.

"Harry! Ron!" She yelled, pitching her voice above the din of students rushing around talking frantically to one another. Taking the stairs two at a time, she had to skid to a stop in front of the boys who'd turned to watch hers, and Dean's approach.

"What's up?" Harry asked.

"What's the point of finding a horcrux if we don't have anything to kill it with?" She asked.

"What do you suggest then Hermione?" Harry asked impatiently.

"Well, you destroyed Tom Riddle's diary with a basilisk fang right?" She asked and Harry nodded. "I think I know where to find one."

Dean looked at Hermione shocked. She was thinking in strategy faster than he could at times.

"Okay, take the map, Ron can get you into the Chamber of Secrets." Harry said handing her the Marauder's Map.

"Okay, Dean go with Harry, and for the love of Baby, don't go shooting anything unless Harry tells you that you can." Hermione said, grabbing Dean by the elbow.

"I'm going with you." Dean insisted, his eyes zeroing in on hers.

"Now is not the time to argue. I need you to go with Harry. I'll catch up with you guys once we have the fang." Hermione replied, looking into his green eyes that were flashing with worry. For her. "Now go." She told the guys, before turning to run with Ron towards the entrance to the Chamber.

Dean took off, following Harry up a flight of stairs against the flow of students rushing down. He didn't like not being with Hermione, and he worried about what could happen if he wasn't with her. However, she'd given him a job, stick with her friend. "Where are we going?" He asked Harry.

"Ravenclaw common room. I have to start somewhere, even if it's not there." Harry panted out.

Suddenly, the men stopped, having heard Harry's name called out several times. Dean turned to face the voice, seeing an even smaller young woman than Hermione. She was slightly built, petite, with long, flowing blond curls. A flash of light through the window beside them grabbed the three's attention for a moment, watching as a film of protective enchantments glided from the sky downward to the border nearest them.

"It's very impressive, isn't it?" The witch's breathy voice asked.

Harry didn't respond to her question, just shot her an impatient look.

"You're going in the wrong direction. You won't find anything where you're going." The blond witch told Harry.

"How do you know?" Harry asked, twitching impatiently, as if he were ready to start running in the same direction they'd already been going.

"Didn't you hear what Cho said about Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem? There's not a person alive who's seen it." She answered. Harry and Dean's brows came together in confusion. _Where was she going with this?_ "It's obvious isn't it? We have to talk to someone who's dead."

"Sister, in my line of work, that never works out well." Dean said gruffly.

"You're a hunter aren't you?" The girl asked.

"How'd you-?" Dean stuttered.

"Your reaction. Don't worry, the ghosts here are friendly. They aren't going to hurt you." She replied.

Dean looked to Harry, who nodded, to indicate that she was telling him the truth. "Luna, this is Hermione's friend, Dean." Harry told the girl.

"Nice to meet you. Your head barely has any wrackspurts." Luna replied.

"Nice to meet you too." Dean said to Luna. To Harry he whispered: "What are wrackspurts?"

"Don't ask." Was all Harry said.

"I know someone you can talk to Harry, follow me." She said, leading the men away from the Ravenclaw common room.

Meanwhile, Hermione and Ron were making good progress down in the Chamber. They had just reached the door that would lead into a grand corridor. Ron recited parseltongue to get it open, to which Hermione shot him a questioning look.

"Harry talks in his sleep. Have you noticed?" Ron asked, his mouth twisting into a crooked smile.

"No, of course not." Hermione said, blinking once while watching as a metal snake moved around the door, pushing heavy bolts out of their locks with a clank. She was worried about Dean, she worried about what would happen if the Death Eaters didn't wait the whole hour, and the castle was breached before she could get back to protect him. He'd helped her, and protected her in his world, it was time for her to repay the favor.

The door finally swung open, and her and Ron went down into the corridor, where laying on the floor, was the skeleton of a basilisk. Ron handed Hermione the cup, and rushed over to it, pulling a fang from what was left of its mouth. Turning, Ron went to Hermione, holding it out to her. "You do it." He told her, taking the cup gently from her hands.

"I can't." Hermione said shaking her head.

"Yes, you can." Ron replied, pressing a gentle hand on her shoulder, before bending down to place the cup on the concrete floor.

Hermione slowly dropped to one knee beside the cup, and fixed it with a look of pure disdain. She raised the basilisk fang over her head, and using both hands, she brought it down, stabbing the cup. The cup skittered away, and water started rising up. The pair ran for the door as the water took the shape of Voldemort's face, and chased them down, before breaking in a great wave that soaked them both from head to toe.

The water receded after that, leaving a soaking wet Ron and Hermione standing in the Chamber of Secrets in a state of mild shock. She turned to look at Ron, who was already staring at her. Before she could blink, he pulled her into his body, pressing his lips wildly to hers. Hermione felt nothing. She couldn't kiss her friend back, because there were no feelings beyond friendship to return. So she did the only thing she could think of, she pushed him away from her.

"What was that for?" He asked her, feeling very wounded she hadn't kissed him back.

"I'm sorry Ron, but I think I'm in love with someone else." Hermione said, wrapping her head around the truth that had just shot through her brain when Ron's and her lips connected.

"It's Dean isn't it?" Ron asked quietly.

Hermione simply nodded. "Let's go find Harry, shall we?" She asked bringing them back to their purpose, and away from her discovery that she loved Dean.

While Harry and Dean were talking with the ghost of Helena Ravenclaw, and Ron and Hermione were doing their thing in the Chamber of Secrets, Bobby had been with Professor McGonagall, and other adults, and older students in the front courtyard of the school. Right where he had landed when he transported here with Hermione and Dean. He watched in fascination while they'd placed protective enchantments around the school, muttering their spells in Latin. Most of it, Bobby could understand and translate on the spot, some of it he couldn't. He knew the gist of what they were trying to keep out, and slightly how the spell would work.

He waited with everyone, for something, anything to happen. They had watched a dark group of people appear on a distant horizon, and had heard the faint echoes of shouting. Then, there were spells, flying gracefully through the night sky. They hit the protective barrier with a noise akin to multiple bombs going off. Bobby flinched, reaching back to pull the gun he'd had hidden in the waistband of his jeans. Minerva McGonagall eyed the gun in his hand.

"Do you think that'll do you much good?" She asked him primly.

"Loaded with silver bullets? It'll do some damage, I'm also packing silver knives and a machete. Oh, and holy water and salt just in case." He replied proudly.

"Well then, I suppose you came prepared. The name's Minerva McGonagall, I'm the transfiguration professor here." She told the older hunter.

"Bobby Singer, hunter." He returned gruffly.

Before any more talking could take place, a charge of energy shot through the night, hitting the force field. It started disintegrating right before their very eyes. Bobby knew this was it. They hadn't gotten the full hour, but even so, the fighting was about to begin.

Once Harry and Dean had spoken with Helena Ravenclaw, they parted ways with Luna, thanking her for her suggestion saying if it hadn't been for her, they'd still be running around lost. After she left, Dean turned to Harry.

"What did the ghost mean when she said 'It's in the place where everything is hidden. If you have to ask, you'll never know. If you know, you need only ask.'" He asked the young wizard.

"She meant the Room of Requirement. It's a room that if you have need of it, will appear. It's a room where things are stored, or hidden." Harry explained as best he could.

"So how do we find this room?" Dean asked, his voice impatient.

"I have an idea, come on." Harry said, leading the way out of the walkways they'd been in, and returning to the main stairwell where they started.

"What about Hermione, and your friend? How are they going to find us?" Dean asked, matching Harry's pace.

"She's got a map that'll show her where we are. It's one hundred percent accurate." Harry replied. "Ginny!" Harry suddenly yelled, looking beyond Dean.

Dean whirled around, seeing the red haired witch from earlier, running up the stairs towards them, with a taller, skinny wizard with black hair, and a cardigan trailing her. She ran for Harry, taking his hand. The taller boy with her stopped as he was about to run past the trio.

"Neville! Are you alright?" Harry asked frantically.

At that moment there was a commotion, and a Death Eater came flying through the stairwell casting spells as he flew. Harry yelled "stupefy!" hitting it with precision. The Death Eater, and his broom, crashed down, taking chunks of rock out of the hand rails and stairs.

The group turned back to Neville who was responding to Harry's original question. "Never better. I feel like I could spit fire. You haven't seen Luna, have you?"

"Luna?" Harry asked, confused as to why Neville was asking about her at a time like this.

"I'm mad for her. I think it's about time I told her too, since we'll probably both be dead by dawn." Neville yelled the last part, as he'd started running off again.

Dean looked confused after Neville, before turning to Harry who was kissing Ginny gently. He looked as if he were going to say something, but she cut him off with a simple "I know." Harry nodded, and he and Dean were off again, in search for the Room of Requirement.

Seeing Harry's small moment with his girl touched something inside of Dean. He shouldn't have let Hermione go off without at least showing her that he felt something for her first. This was a battle, and he knew that things could go south at any moment. Like Neville had told Harry, he was going to tell Luna how he felt because there was a chance they could die. The same was true for Hermione. She could die in this battle, and if it happened before they all met up again, she'd die not knowing that he felt something for her. _You love her and you know it_. The voice in his head screamed. It threw him so off guard, he'd stopped paying attention to the crumbling ceiling above his head. He just ran straight behind Harry, nearly plowing him over when the wizard came to a sudden stop. In front of them was a blank, stone wall.

Dean watched in fascination as Harry stood before the wall, and closed his eyes. Dean looked around him for a moment, wondering what on earth was happening, when all of the sudden a door started to appear out of thin air, in the stone of the wall.

"What the hell?" Dean asked, examining the process in which the door appeared.

"Welcome to the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts." Harry said pushing open the doors and stepping inside. Dean followed, and the doors automatically closed behind him. Before him, was a room that was larger than any other he'd seen before, piled high with random stuff.

"So this is where people come to hide things?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, pretty much." Harry replied.

"Wow, seems like this would be the school make out spot." Dean joked.

Harry shot him an unimpressed look from over his shoulder before lighting the tip of his wand, so as to see better. "Look, I've known Hermione for going on 10 years now. I don't know exactly what the relationship between you and her is, but if you hurt her in any way, you answer to me." Harry said, his voice hard.

"I didn't realize I was planning on hurting her." Dean said, trying to make light of the heavy threat leveled his way.

Harry whirled around facing Dean, placing the glowing tip of his wand close to the hunter's face. "I don't think you'd intentionally hurt her, you seem like a good person, even if you are a little rough around the edges. The threat is still the same."

"Okay." Dean said, his hands coming up in a position of surrender.

Harry dropped the tip of his wand, and resumed the trek forward in search of the crown that held a portion of Lord Voldemort's soul.


	19. State of my Head

**A/n: I'm running out of creative ways to remind you that I don't own the characters, that J. K. Rowling and Eric Kripke do.**

 **Chapter title inspiration: State of my Head- Shinedown**

 **Chapter 19**

Hermione and Ron returned to the main part of the school and pulled out the Marauder's Map. They unfolded it as they walked down an abandoned hallway.

"Bloody hell, we'll never find them on this." Ron said, searching for Harry's name.

Hermione came up beside him so she could look too, both of them coming to a stop. "There they are, just there." She said, instantly spotting both Harry's, and Dean's names, accompanied by their footprints. All of the sudden, they disappeared. "They just vanished. Just now, I saw it." A knot of tension formed in her stomach when it happened.

Ron and Hermione listened to the rumbling around them, as the battle raged on in other parts of the school. Ron heard Hermione in his head, something she had said the year before the last one they'd spent as students. "Maybe they've gone into the Room of Requirement. It doesn't show up on the map does it? You said that during sixth year."

Hermione looked at Ron with a modicum of surprise. "That's right, I did." She said lowly, the knot in her stomach relaxing some with Ron's surprise revelation.

"Let's go." Ron said, moving ahead of her down the hallway to summon the Room of Requirement.

"Brilliant." Hermione commented before following him.

Meanwhile, in the Room of Requirement, Dean and Harry were still on the search for the diadem. Harry was standing in the middle of the room, eyes closed and listening. When Harry didn't hear anything right off, he motioned for Dean to follow, as he worked his way through aisle after aisle of stuff piled absolutely everywhere. The pair moved determinedly through, Harry listening for any indicator of a horcrux being within his vicinity.

After a while Harry came to a dead stop, his ears picking up on a slight whispering sound. He held his hand up to halt Dean's movement, so he could listen. Dean stopped short, listening, but not hearing anything. He watched Harry's head swivel around, as if he were looking for something. His face indicated he knew something, but Dean didn't see how he could. They hadn't looked through any of the piles they'd passed, which in his mind was counterproductive to finding the object he and Harry were sent to find in the first place.

Harry turned and back tracked to a table they'd passed just a second ago. He knoxed the lumos charm, and put his wand in a wand pocket in the front panel of his coat. Dean watched Harry dig through some stuff on a table, until he uncovered a box that was obviously buried. Dean moved to stand by Harry, as Harry opened it, revealing a silver tiara, with a large dark stone, and script in Latin carved into the metal.

"This is it." He told Dean. Before Dean could question him about how he'd known where to look, a group of three boys showed up, wands pointed at them.

"Well, well, what brings you here Potter?" The blonde boy in the middle asked.

"I could ask you the same." Harry replied, moving so he was slightly in front of Dean, who was starting to pull the gun he'd had hidden in the back waistband of his jeans, under the button down he'd thrown on that morning.

"You have something of mine." The blonde boy continued, his wand pointing ahead at all times. "I'd like it back." He hissed.

"What's wrong with the one you have?" Harry questioned, his hand never going for his wand.

"It's my mother's. It's powerful, but it's not the same. It doesn't quite, understand me. Know what I mean?" The wizard continued. Dean snickered quietly at the thought of having to use something of his mother's. Harry shot him a "tread carefully" look over his shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell her? Bellatrix. You knew it was me. You didn't say anything." Harry said gently, shrugging his shoulders at the end of his observation. Dean recognized the name Bellatrix. It was the name of the person who'd tortured Hermione. _What else had happened while she and her friends were there?_ He wondered to himself.

"Come on Draco. Don't be a prat. Do it." A heavier set boy on the blonde boy's left whispered in the blonde's ear.

Dean brought his gun to the front of him, and pointed it at the floor, clicking the safety off just in case. Harry's hand was going for his wand, when from behind him came Hermione's firm voice casting, "Expelliarmus." Malfoy's wand flipped from his hand to the floor.

Goyle reacted quickly, as his friends started to scurry away with "Avada Kedavra."

Dean watched the ball of light from the heavier kid's wand head straight for Hermione, who had her wand, in hand, a look of concentration on her face. His heart leapt into his throat in fear until she countered it with a shout of "stupefy." Unfortunately, her counter attack hit its mark, the ricochet hitting the diadem, and sending it flying high into the pile of furniture next to them.

Harry and Hermione scrambled for the pile to get the horcrux, as Ron and Dean ran off after the group, after Ron had snottily told Dean that Goyle had cast the killing curse at Hermione. Ron had his wand out, and Dean had his gun at the ready.

"That's my friend…" Ron had yelled, the rest of his words fading out as he got farther and farther away, Dean ready to back him up with fire power. Hermione spared a faint smile in their direction before climbing up the pile beside Harry.

It took them a few minutes of exhaustive climbing, on precariously stacked furniture, before they had to pry the horcrux from the hands of a pixie. He showed it to Hermione quickly, before helping her to climb down. Their feet had just reached the floor, when two shouts rose in the air. One was Dean yelling for Ron to run, the other was just Ron yelling. They couldn't make out what he was saying until he was almost back to where they'd left Harry and Hermione.

"Goyle set the bloody place on fire!" He yelled running for the door. Dean grabbed Hermione's hand, and dragged her along with him as Harry stood watching the increasing yellow glow of the fire coming toward him, before running in the same direction as Ron, Dean, and Hermione had.

Dean looked behind them to see fire, in the form of a snake's head following them. They rounded a pile of stuff, and tore down another aisle, the fire curling around both sides of said pile, before continuing to follow the four young adults. As the fire drew closer, Harry cast whatever charms he could think of to send furniture crashing down to help hold back the fire for a moment. It didn't hold for long, and the fire burst forth after them once again. Still running, they came to an area where several aisles came together in a central area. The shape of the fire had changed again when it burst through Harry's makeshift barrier, and they were now being chased down by fire in the shape of a screeching bird of some sort. Not knowing which direction to go, they stopped. It was that moment, the group realized they were surrounded by fire in the shapes of various vicious animals coming their way.

Harry stepped in the way of the most vicious fire animal barreling their way, as Dean pulled Hermione into his body, and turning her so he was shielding her, Ron coming to stand next to him to help. Just as the fire animal was baring down on them, Harry cast a shield of protection around them, the fire hitting it but not hurting anyone. The impact of the fire on the protective barrier jarred them, sending Ron rolling across the floor where he found brooms. Without a word he grabbed them, tossing one to Harry, and then Hermione, before taking one for himself.

Dean looked at the broom and gave Hermione a look that said "What the hell?"

"Get on now." She yelled to him. His hesitation was minute, tucking his gun with the safety back on where it had been all along. He straddled the broom behind Hermione, wrapping his arms around her waist tightly.

Hermione kicked up from the ground at the same time as Ron and Harry, flying through the Room of Requirement that was now totally engulfed in flames. "Come on, this way!" Ron yelled over the roar of the fire, directing his broom towards the door.

Harry looked over his shoulder at the room, seeing Malfoy and Crabbe hanging from a broken table precariously over the fire. Harry figured them burning to death would be appropriate for their treachery, but then thought better of it. "We can't leave them!" Harry yelled back at the others.

"He's joking right?" Ron asked Hermione, who was expertly handling her broom while Dean held onto her for dear life.

Hermione didn't respond, just flew her broom so she was following the circle back. Harry made an attempt to pull Malfoy onto his broom, but it failed. Neither wizard able to get a good grab on the other. The three brooms made another circle back as Ron yelled to Harry: "If we die for them, I'm going to kill you!"

The second pass was more successful, as Harry pulled Malfoy onto his broom, and Ron pulled Crabbe onto his. Then the race was on for the doorway. Burning debris fell loose, almost hitting them, causing Harry, Ron, and Hermione to correct their course to avoid being hit. A burst of flames blocked their path to the open doorway, but Hermione cast a charm to clear a path for them to fly through. As they were going through the door, an explosion knocked their brooms, causing all of them to fall to the floor which luckily they were close to.

Dean felt the broom lose control, and grabbed Hermione so that when she fell, he'd take most of the impact. They landed hard and rolled. Malfoy and Crabbe scrambled off, running away leaving Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Dean laying there stunned for a second. Harry spotted the diadem laying on the floor near him, and he dove for it. Hermione picked herself up off the ground, and took off for Harry, yelling to catch his attention before sending the fang flying in his direction. Harry caught the fang, and buried it into the dark gem on the face of the diadem, black smoke rising from it instantly. Dean stood up just as Ron kicked the diadem away, into the flames. The flames took on the shape of a noseless face, that came rushing at the door, before the door slammed shut. Harry had reeled back into a nearby wall, struggling to catch his breath.

Hermione, Ron, and Dean slowly came to stand in front of Harry who was struggling with something. It was as if he'd been injured in some way, though Dean could see no indication that he had been. Dean was running on an all-time adrenaline high. He'd just watched a duel between a wizard, and the girl he was having growing feelings for, a duel in which she'd handled herself like a pro. He'd also been flying on a broom, something he thought was just a fairytale, as he'd never heard of anyone flying on brooms before. Another thing Hermione had handled with absolute professionalism. Taking deep breaths, he tried slowing his heart rate.

"It's the snake." Harry said finally to the group. "She's the last one. The last horcrux."

Dean furrowed his brow in confusion. _Snake? What snake? And how did Harry know it was a she?_ Hermione looked to Dean, a sad look on her face. She was worried about her friend. Dean took her hand, and squeezed it gently, hoping to reassure her. Of what, he didn't know.

Ron knelt by Harry saying "Look inside him Harry, find out where he is. If we find him, we can find the snake, and we can end this."

Hermione dropped down in front of Harry, placing a gentle hand on his ankle as a look of pain took over Harry's features. Dean watched wide eyed, as Harry reacted as if he were in pain for some reason, for moments that seemed to drag on forever. When his eyes finally opened, Hermione lowered herself the rest of the way to the ground, sitting at Dean's feet and removing her hand from Harry's ankle. Harry looked to the people in front of him, breathing deeply for a couple of moments before speaking.

"I know where he is." Harry said finally. Ron and Dean helped Harry stand, and Hermione picked herself up from the floor.

The four ran through the castle, following Harry who was in the lead. Harry, Hermione, and Ron cast curses at the Death Eaters they encountered. Dean was relegated to be in the center, so that the witch and wizards he was with could be in control, and where he was more protected from the curses flying through the air every which way. He used his gun, loaded with silver bullets, as much as he could, each bullet finding its target and dropping them. When his clip was empty, he pulled another full one to reload from his coat pocket. They reached the door, and Hermione ran ahead to enter the courtyard, but Harry skidded to a stop shooting out his arm to catch her, and push her back into Dean, who grabbed her by the shoulders. A curse hit the door where Hermione had just been, scaring Dean more than anything else that had already taken place. Harry used his wand to lead him around the corner, a curse bursting through the end hitting the Death Eater who'd almost taken Hermione out. Sneaking around the corner of the doorway carefully, the four bounded down the front steps of the school, Harry diving at the bottom when a curse went flying for his head. The sight in the courtyard took Dean off guard when the four stopped short in front of a giant who had spotted them. Dean pulled Hermione back away from it, pulling her into a run. Unfortunately, the giant turned in their direction, its weapon at the ready. Dean shot at it a number of times, but it didn't seem to stop the thing. The group ran, and shoved themselves into a hollow bell, as the giant brought his weapon down. It bounced off the metal of the bell, before losing interest in them. Dean made sure the area was clear, before letting the others he was with run on.

Curses flew through the air around all of their heads, and creatures chased them. At one-point, Dean thought they were being chased by giant spiders, but he didn't look long enough to be sure. Meanwhile, Harry, Hermione, and Ron continued casting their curses, and defensive spells at the Death Eaters around them. Dean continued to shoot whenever he got a clear shot. Suddenly, a person with black eyes stepped into their path. Harry stopped short, whipping his arms out to stop Ron and Hermione. Dean stepped around Harry, pulling the demon killing knife from Ruby, and not hesitating to shove it into the demon's chest. A yellow-orange light flickered behind the person's skin, before they fell to the ground, dead. Beyond the now dead demon, the four watched a werewolf chewing on the neck of a dead Lavender Brown. Hermione stepped around the men, and cast a curse silently, knocking the werewolf through a stone arch support, and dropping it off a bridge.

Dean looked around for Bobby and saw him struggling to get his gun reloaded. Dean watched in horror as a Death Eater prepared to take his father figure out. "Go, do what you have to. I have to stay." Dean told Hermione, grabbing her shoulder from behind.

"Be careful." She said softly, her eyes committing Dean alive to memory. He nodded once and turned to defend his father figure. Hermione ran with Harry and Ron to the boathouse, taking every opportunity to look back at Dean to make sure he was still okay, until she could no longer see him.

Bobby's gun had jammed. He couldn't get the clip to click into the slot, and a moment of panic gripped him. He knew this could be the end of the line for him, when a gunshot sounded nearby. He looked up to see Dean, his gun aimed at something or someone behind him. For the next hour, the pair helped take out as much as they could, while also dodging the giant spiders, and giants with their weapons. Explosions sent debris at them that they tried hard to avoid. At one point, a particularly jagged piece of rock slammed into Bobby, knocking him down, and cutting a chunk out of his arm. Dean slung Bobby's uninjured arm over his shoulders, and made for the doors of the school, when the same voice from earlier floated on the air, stopping all of the commotion around them.

"You have fought valiantly, but in vain. I do not wish this. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a terrible waste. I therefore command my forces to retreat. In their absence, dispose of your dead with dignity. Harry Potter, I now speak directly to you. On this night, you have allowed your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. There is no greater dishonor. Join me in the Forbidden Forrest and confront your fate. If you do not do this, I shall kill every last man, woman, and child who tries to conceal you from me." It said, and then was silent.

Dean looked at Bobby wide eyed, and wondered what was going to happen. The Death Eaters removed themselves from the castle grounds, aparating away, leaving behind their victims and living targets. The elder witch from before, instructed every able bodied person to help move the dead and wounded into the Great Hall. Dean helped Bobby into the great room where they had been at the start, sitting him on a bench on the side, before helping the adults and students carry in the dead. Each person was laid out on the floor, side by side. Dean's stomach churned at the amount of bodies laid out before him. It was the worst thing he had seen in all of his years, with the exception of his time in Hell. He watched as the red headed witch, and wizard they'd met when they first arrived, the ones who'd embraced Hermione, carry in a red haired wizard who was still. They laid him out on the floor before gathering around him, their tears flowing freely. He shot the girl who'd kissed Harry a sympathetic look before moving to sit beside his father figure.

"How's the arm?" Dean asked.

"I'm pretty sure it's broken, but I'll live." Bobby said.

An elderly witch nearby heard the conversation, and moved to stand in front of them. "My name is Madam Pomphrey, I'm a healing witch. I can help with your arm." She said firmly, but kindly.

"Thank you." Bobby replied taken back a bit.

Dean and Bobby watched as the witch brought her wand in front of her, aiming the tip at Bobby's arm, and muttering a spell. Moments later, Bobby's broken arm bone had healed itself, and with another spell, the cut was dried, and looked as if it had just been a scratch. Impressed with her work, Dean thanked her profusely. With a kind smile, she moved onto the others in the room that needed physical healing. Unfortunately, the kind woman would not be able to heal the sobs sounding around him from the friends and loved ones mourning their dead.

Dean sat staring at his hands uncomfortably when he heard the door to the hall open. Looking up, he saw Ron pushing the doors open, Harry and Hermione following him into the room. Dean's breath rushed out in relief seeing her still alive. The trio looked around, taking in the sight of the wounded and dead, and the sounds of the sobs of those in mourning. They moved lengthwise down the room, as if on autopilot looking around. Mrs. Weasley spotted her son, gesturing for him. That's when Hermione and Harry discovered one of the Weasley twins had died. Harry looked around uncomfortably when Ron joined his family in mourning, and saw Remus and Tonks lying dead on the floor, their hands outstretched towards each other, but not touching. Hermione scanned the room looking for Dean, her breath catching seeing him alive, sitting with Bobby off to the side quietly. She went to them, hugging them both and telling them how happy she was to see them alive.

When she turned to say something to Harry, she saw that he'd left the room. Hermione's eyes took in the remainder of the dead, seeing Remus and Tonks. Tears streaked down her face as she silently cried for Fred, Tonks, Remus, and the countless other friends she'd lost. When the emotions became too much, her silent tears melted into gut wrenching sobs. Dean and Bobby moved to pull her into an embrace, kind of awkwardly sandwiched between the two, as they offered what comfort they possibly could to her. Her arms worked their way so she had one around each hunter's neck as she cried. Dean's hand was on her upper back, and he began to rub gentle soothing circles to try and help settle her.

After several agonizing minutes listening to her cry, Bobby and Dean felt her sobs lessen until she was merely hiccupping. In that moment, Harry returned to the Great Hall looking pale and spooked. Hermione, Ron, Dean and Bobby made their way over to Harry looking at him expectantly.

"Where've you been?" Hermione asked quietly.

"I thought you went to the forest." Ron said worriedly.

"I'm going there now." Harry said stoically.

"Are you mad?" Ron asked, bewildered at the turn this conversation had taken. "No. You can't give yourself up to him."

Harry let out a breath, his back turned to the group.

"What is it Harry?" Hermione asked, sensing Harry was about to say something. "What is it you know?"

"There's a reason I can hear them." Harry started.

"Hear what?" Dean asked from where he'd been standing behind Hermione.

"The horcruxes." He replied to Dean's question. He turned his attention back to Ron and Hermione before continuing. "I think I've known for a while, and I think you have too."

At his words, Hermione's tears started once again. Dean brought his hand to Hermione's shoulder in a gesture meant to comfort her. "I'll go with you." She told her friend, her voice shaking.

"No, kill the snake. Kill the snake, and it's just him." Harry told the group.

At the end of his speech, Hermione pulled out of Dean's grasp, and went up to Harry, pulling him into a hug, squeezing her friend tightly. Ron moved a couple of steps towards his friends, and exchanged what could be the last look he'd ever give his best friend.

Harry pulled out of the hug, giving Hermione one last look. He looked to Bobby and Dean as if telling them to take care of her. Then he turned and left, leaving them all behind.


	20. Finding Beauty

**A/n: How many more times do I have to say: I don't own the Harry Potter nor Supernatural characters? On with the chapter.**

 **Chapter title inspiration: Finding Beauty- Escala (It's also the song that inspired the title of this fic.)**

 **Chapter 20**

Ron returned to his mourning family, and Hermione stayed close to Dean and Bobby, sometimes crying, sometimes staring off into space. Dean kept one eye on her at all times, but tried to give her some space to process the fact that her friend, had gone off to basically, sacrifice himself. Dean knew Harry's speech had been goodbye, but he also knew the grief she was feeling. Minutes turned to hours, and everyone just sat around, waiting for the end. The air of despair hanging like a heavy blanket over the room.

The sun peeked over the horizon, signaling the beginning of a new day. Those who were alive and able, went out to the courtyard at the front of the school to survey the damage. Dean, Bobby, and Hermione included. There was no talking, everyone was silent as they looked around at the damage done to the school. When Hermione looked up, she saw a multitude of black robed witches and wizards, walking across the bridge toward them. Several others had picked up on it, she noticed, as others from the school had begun to gather on the front steps. Dean and Bobby were still surveying the damage, so she nudged each of them silently, using her chin to indicate what was happening in front of them.

When they got closer, Hermione could see Hagrid, ropes around his neck, carrying a limp Harry in his arms. His eyes haunted by what he'd witnessed in the Forbidden Forrest. Her eyes went to Voldemort, who was leading the group with a triumphant smile, a snake slithering close to the hem of his wizarding robes.

"Son of a bitch, that's one fugly mofo." Dean said quietly to Bobby. Hermione who was standing between the two heard him, and bit back a laugh at the reaction to his first time seeing Voldemort.

"I second that." Bobby said in his usual gruff way.

"Who is that Hagrid's carrying?" Ginny's voice broke the silence that was weighing down on everyone. She walked forward under the arm of her father, Arthur Weasley. "Neville, who is it?" She asked her voice becoming frantic, addressing the young man who was standing closest to the incoming group.

Before Neville could respond, Lord Voldemort's happy voice rang out across the courtyard: "Harry Potter, is dead!"

"NO!" Ginny screamed moving to lunge at the group, only to be held back by Mr. Weasley.

Hermione's eyes filled with tears as she also moved to run toward Harry, only to be caught around the waist by Dean who turned her and pressed her face into his chest.

"Silence!" Lord Voldemort commanded at Ginny's outburst. "Stupid girl, Harry Potter is dead. From this day forth, you put your faith, in me." He smiled at Ginny.

Voldemort then turned away from Ginny and addressed his followers. "Harry Potter is dead." He said again, celebrating his pronouncement.

"Sick bastard." Dean mumbled to no one in particular.

Hermione turned her head so her cheek was resting against Dean's chest firmly, but so that she could watch what was happening around her. Dean's hand pressed her head a little firmer into his chest, his fingers twining between the strands of her loosened ponytail. He too watched Voldemort taunt everyone, by pronouncing the courageous young wizard he'd met the night before, dead, over and over, like it was the best thing he'd ever heard. It made Dean sick to his stomach, especially when the black robed witches and wizards started to laugh loudly in celebration.

"And now is the time to declare yourself. Come forward and join us, or die." Lord Voldemort announced to the witches and wizards and hunters who'd fought against him the entire night.

Hermione eyed Bellatrix who'd come to stand slightly behind Voldemort on a large rock. She whispered to Dean that the dark haired witch he saw on the rock, was the one who'd tortured her, carving the word into her arm that he'd patched up. Anger coursed through Dean looking at the sadistic bitch. His arms tightened protectively around Hermione, and her arms, that had moved so they were around his waist, tightened, acknowledging and accepting his protection.

"Draco." A harsh whisper from a long blonde haired wizard was the only sound in an otherwise silent courtyard. It was echoed by a woman with black and white hair who simply said "Draco, come."

Dean turned his head to watch the blonde wizard, the one that Harry had saved in the Room of Requirement, walk down the steps of the school towards his parents. He watched as Voldemort embraced him before letting him pass. "Well done Draco." Lord Voldemort praised, earning an eye roll from Dean and Bobby. None of the other students, teachers, or adults moved though.

Suddenly, Neville limped forward, a strange looking hat clutched tightly in his hand.

"Well, I must say, I had hoped for better." Lord Voldemort said earning a laugh from his followers. "And who might you be young man?"

"Neville Longbottom." He replied earning another laugh from the Death Eaters. Dean wondered how the kid got saddled with a name such as that.

"Well, Neville, I'm sure we can find a place for you somewhere in our ranks." Lord Voldemort said before being cut off by Neville.

"I'd like to say something." He said forcefully.

Lord Voldemort acted as if he were pissed at the mere thought of being cut off, and Dean worried for a moment he was going to retaliate against the kid. "Well, Neville, I'm sure we'd all be fascinated to hear what you have to say." He said calmly.

"Doesn't matter that Harry's gone." Neville started calmly, staring at the ground.

A Scottish sounding boy scolded him to "stand down."

"People die every day, friends, family. Yeah, Harry died tonight. He's still with us, in here." Neville said addressing the crowd in front of Hogwarts, gesturing to his heart where the memory of Harry would stay with everyone who'd been involved in the battle that night. "So's Fred, Remus, Tonks, all of them. They didn't die in vain." He then turned to address Lord Voldemort directly. "But you will, because you're wrong. Harry's heart did beat for us, for all of us!"

Neville stuck his hand into the hat, and pulled out a glittering sword, finishing with a strong "It's not over!"

Just as Neville's speech concluded, Harry flipped himself out of Hagrid's arms, sending a shock wave through everyone present. Hermione pulled out of Dean's arms in shock, watching as Harry sent a curse flying at Nagini that didn't seem to do any good, before taking off in a run away from the dark lord. Hermione let out a laugh as everyone started to move back toward the school to continue the fight. Dean and Bobby were just as surprised, as their legs propelled them after Hermione. Dean reached for her, grasping her hand as they ran in together. He missed the Death Eaters start taking off, and the exploding curses Lord Voldemort had sent in a running Harry's direction.

Harry reached the door into the school at the same time Hermione, Ron, Bobby and Dean did, reminding them that they needed to kill the snake. "You'll need this" Hermione said, going to grab for something in a little purple bag she'd been wearing across her body for the entire fight, but was cut short when a curse hit the sword Neville was holding. It sent him flying back, propelling him all of the way into the Great Hall. Dean yanked her back by the hood of her sweatshirt, wrapping a protective arm around her so she didn't get hit and go flying as well.

Spells once again were flying through the air on both sides, but Lord Voldemort and his snake aparated somewhere. Harry took off looking for Voldemort, leaving the snake killing in his very capable friends' hands.

"I've got to try and find that snake and kill it." Hermione told Dean, pulling the fang she was going to give to Harry.

"You're not going alone." Dean said frowning at her. If she thought he was letting her go off alone again, she had another thing coming as far as he was concerned.

Looking around she saw everyone else locked in a battle of some sort, including Bobby who was fighting alongside Professor McGonagall. "Fine." She said taking off, leading him from the Great Hall. She took stair case after stair case, until she found where Harry and Lord Voldemort were locked in a duel, Nagini sneaking up to kill Harry from behind. In a purely reactionary move, she picked up a small rock nearby, and threw it with all her might at the snake, hitting it in the head.

The snake hissed looking around for the person who threw the rock at her. Her eyes zeroed in on Hermione and Dean. Hermione, who was holding another rock at the ready to throw. "Did you really think that was going to work?" Dean asked her harshly.

"Well, it got her attention." Hermione replied with a small smile.

"What do we do now?" Dean asked wondering how they were going to get close enough to kill it. There was a likely chance the snake would kill them first.

"We have to stab it with this." She said holding up the fang. At that moment, a dark, smoky figure rushed her, causing the fang to fall out of her hands onto a different staircase, before disintegrating in a green flash. The snake was now slowly moving in their direction.

"What now, genius?" Dean asked her after having watched their only weapon go poof.

"We run." Hermione told him grabbing his hand, and pulling him down the stairs away from the snake.

The snake chased Dean and Hermione, gaining on them faster than either had expected. Hermione turned and cast a curse, but it just went right down the snake's body, not harming it in the slightest. It only served to piss it off even more, which was bad news for the pair that were now falling toward a pile of rubble. Dean pulled Hermione face first into his body, pinning her under him when they fell. He pressed her face into his chest one last time as the snake lunged for the kill. Time seemed to stop for Dean, as he breathed in the scent of Hermione's hair one last time, closing his eyes. Time seemed to slow down for everyone. Neville having seen the lunge, moved in, and beheaded the snake, midair, with the sword of Godric Gryffindoor.

When Dean didn't feel the snake attack, he chanced a glance around him to see Neville lower the sword, a wisp of black smoke curling around them, similar to the smoke the diadem had let out when Harry stabbed it. Looking around, there was no part of the snake anywhere. He pulled away from Hermione ever so slightly, looking down at her head tucked into his shoulder. She seemed to sense something had changed finally, and slowly lifted her head to look around. Their eyes met and held, fear and relief shining through both of their expressions, melting away to reveal feelings buried deep down. If you'd have asked, neither would have admitted to being the first to move in, but in a moment of pure exhilaration and relief, their lips met in a passionate kiss.

The sound of spells crashing together broke the couple from their kiss, and had their heads turning in the direction of the sound. Through the entrance door, they could see Harry and Voldemort locked in a duel in the front courtyard. They watched intently as the red light coming from the tip of Harry's wand, overtook the green light coming from Lord Voldemort's. It only took mere seconds for the green light to be pushed back into the wand, before the wand went flying out of the dark lord's hands, straight for Harry who lunged up and grabbed it.

Everyone held their breaths, until Voldemort started dissolving into ash in front of everyone's eyes. There was no more fighting, no more curses or spells being cast. Everyone just watched in amazement at the conclusion of the fight. As the ash that used to be Lord Voldemort rose on the wind, Harry turned away from where the final fight had gone down, and made his way into the school, to the Great Hall where everyone was gathered. Well, everyone but Hermione and Dean, and Filch who was outside the Great Hall doors using a dilapidated broom to start sweeping up debris.

Ron was sitting with his family looking exhausted in more ways than one, McGonagall was sitting in a corner drinking coffee with Bobby. Both were going at it with each other with sarcasm and snark, trying to hide their amusement towards the other. Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan, former classmates, sat with Aberforth Dumbledore, listening to him talk over hot coffee as well. While other students sat around Professor Slughorn, listening to the extravagant retelling of his heroics, by the professor himself. Harry smiled to himself as Dean and Hermione stepped into the doorway of the Great Hall, hand in hand, fingers intertwined. Harry gave her a small nod, and smile, indicating his happiness that she'd found someone. Harry gave a slightly harder smile, and nod to Dean, indicating to the hunter his approval, along with a warning not to hurt her. Ron came up behind Harry and gave Dean a stiffer nod, with no smile indicating his acceptance, but not happiness.

The four left the castle, walked through the courtyard, and halfway across the bridge. No one spoke, even though there were some, that had questions just begging to be asked and answered. Harry found some debris to stand on, overlooking the canyon below. He simply surveyed the scene in front of him, while the other three watched him. Harry took the elder wand in his hand, examining it for the first time since he'd caught it.

"Why didn't it work for him?" Hermione asked breaking the silence. "The elder wand?"

"It answered to somebody else." Harry started his explanation, before expelling a breath. "When he killed Snape, he thought the wand would become his, but the wand never belonged to Snape. It was Draco who disarmed Dumbledore, that night in the Astronomy Tower. From that moment on, the wand answered to him... Until I disarmed Draco, that night at Malfoy Manor."

Hermione's grip on Dean's hand increased slightly at the mention of Malfoy Manor. He squeezed her hand once in return to tell her he understood her reaction, though little of what Harry was saying was making sense to him.

"So that means…" Ron said, in a low voice that trailed off, not finishing the sentence.

"It's mine." Harry said matter-of-factly, with some levity to his voice, while tipping the wand around in the tips of his fingers.

"What are we going to do with it?" Ron asked.

"We?" Hermione turned to Ron in an aggravated fashion, her voice scolding. Dean ducked his head to bury a smile at the thought she'd never used that voice on him.

"Just saying, that's the elder wand. Most powerful wand in the world. With that, he'd be invincible" Ron said by way of explanation. Dean spluttered for air at the new tidbit of information. Hermione shot him a sharp look that said she'd fill him in later.

Harry looked for a moment, as if contemplating something, before taking the wand in two hands and snapping it in half. Ron and Hermione shot each other a disbelieving look before focusing back on Harry, who was throwing the two halves of the wand down into the canyon below. With that, Harry jumped off the debris he'd been standing on, and walked a little way away from the group, a peaceful smile on his face. Ron had walked to the edge of the bridge to look over the canyon. Dean had moved so his arm was around Hermione, who was smiling proudly after Harry. She was proud of the wizard he'd grown up to be. Selflessly giving up the most powerful wand in the world, despite the fact that it was rightfully his to use. After another moment, the four friends walked back to the castle to face all that was ahead of them.


	21. It's Not Over

**A/n: I don't own the Harry Potter or Supernatural characters.**

 **Chapter title inspiration: It's Not Over- Secondhand Seranade (I almost chose Oxygen by Tonight Alive, but It's Not Over won. Both really good songs though.)**

 **Chapter 21**

The days following the battle were both busy, and emotional. Bobby, and Dean, stayed to help the wizarding world get back on their feet, while making friends and allies. McGonagall had gone so far as to arrange two rooms, usually designated for staff, for each of the hunters while they stayed. Funerals were had for each person who'd been killed during the battle. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dean, and Bobby attended them all, Dean always sitting beside Hermione to comfort her in any way he could.

For nights, Hermione was offered to stay in the Gryffindoor girl's dorm, however, she chose to sleep with Dean in his quarters. The couple would spend their nights sharing a small bed, in each other's arms, not talking about the horrors they'd witnessed, just silently being there for the other. They also avoided speaking about what was going to happen next for them, now that the battle was over. There was no reason for Dean to stay, and there was no more reason for Hermione to leave. It remained an unspoken issue that seemed to have no resolution. It also prevented both Hermione, and Dean from voicing their feelings for each other.

After all of the days of funerals, the Ministry of Magic, now under the control of Order of the Phoenix member: Kingsley Shacklebolt, arrived to award every person alive, that had fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, including Bobby and Dean. The hunters tried to decline the honor, saying they were "just doing their job," but ended up with medals anyway. Not long after that, Minerva McGonagall was named Headmistress of Hogwarts, and a feast was held in her honor, much to Dean's delight.

Whenever there wasn't some kind of event, Bobby spent a lot of time in what was left of the library, soaking up whatever information he could, in order to be more help when he returned to the States. He also spent a lot of time talking with Minerva. Truth be told he found her less irritating than he pretended she was. They were unlikely friends, but friends none the less.

Two months later, discussions about rebuilding the school so that it could reopen for the next school year began. Minerva called the meeting with the staff, the remaining members of The Order, including the new Minister of Magic, along with Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Everyone agreed that rebuilding the school was the best thing to do, even if the start of the next term needed to be delayed in order to do so. Everyone present agreed to help with the rebuilding, though Hermione did so with a guilty twist of her gut. She knew what this would mean for her, that she'd have to put to rest any residual hope of her and Dean ever being more than they were now.

The meeting adjourned, and Hermione followed the maze of halls towards the quarters she'd been sharing with Dean. Mentally, she was preparing herself for the difficult discussion ahead of her. She ran into Harry's back; she was so caught up in her own musings.

"Something on your mind Hermione?" Harry asked, noticing the slump of her shoulders.

"I have to go have a very difficult conversation. One that I'm not at all ready for." Hermione admitted, leaning against a nearby wall.

"Let me guess, it's about staying for the rebuild isn't it?" Harry asked gently, leaning against the wall beside her.

"Yeah. Part of me feels guilty, but there's a bigger part of me that needs to do this. This place was our home for 7 years, Harry. I can't just walk away when it's been compromised, and some of the friends I made here, died." Hermione explained.

"Then that's what you need to tell him. If he's half the man I suspect he is, he'll understand that. Even if the same thing that's keeping you here, is pulling him back to the States." Harry replied.

"I love him." Hermione admitted.

"Letting him go back to the States while you help rebuild, doesn't mean you have to stop loving him, Hermione. It just means you love him from a distance for a while. You guys can keep in contact, you know." Harry told her with a slight crooked grin forming towards the end of his statement.

"You're right Harry, I guess I'm just worried that he doesn't feel the same towards me, and will move on once he's back home." Hermione admitted.

"Then talk to him. Find out what it is he feels for you, and get a read on the situation. I know he feels something for you. I could tell every time he looked at you during these last months." Harry replied.

"When did you get so smart?" Hermione quipped with a smile for her friend.

"It comes from hanging around you for too long!" Harry replied with a laugh.

"I'm a very good influence then." Hermione pretended to congratulate herself.

"You are. Now go talk to the person that actually matters here, so I can go hang out with my girlfriend." Harry said pushing off the wall.

Hermione rolled her eyes with a laugh. Harry had a point, and she was going to find out tonight what the future had in store for her.

Pushing herself off the wall, she continued her journey through the castle to her shared quarters, her shoulders squared this time, head held high. She knocked before opening the door, like she always did, despite Dean's protestations that she didn't need to do so. When she entered, she saw Dean sitting on the bed they'd been sharing, his back against the wooden headboard, head tilted back, eyes closed, and legs crossed at the ankles out in front of him.

"How was your meeting?" He asked, never moving his head, or opening his brilliant green eyes to look at her.

"It went well, I think. The decision was made to rebuild the school. No one seems to know how long it'll take. If nothing else, Kingsley says we can put off starting another term until next year, instead of this coming September first." Hermione replied, leaning against the once again, closed door.

The room was completely silent for a few moments, while Dean processed what Hermione had just told him. He knew Bobby was about ready to go back home, and he knew he couldn't stop being a hunter, there were things that needed "ganking." He wondered where it left him and Hermione though. He knew he had some really strong feelings for her, but was hesitant to call it love, at least out loud.

Hermione let the silence wash over her, drawing strength to say what she needed to say. Pushing herself off of the door, she walked over to their bed, sitting on the edge furthest away from Dean, folding her hands in her lap. "I have to stay and help Dean." Hermione said so softly, it was nearly a whisper in the silence.

His eyes opened slowly, as his head lifted from its previously tilted position. He focused on Hermione, who was looking ill at ease, sitting on the bed they'd been sharing for months now. "It's fine, you don't have to explain it to me." He told her, hoping his comment came off as casual.

"Yes I do. Listen, this is something I feel like I need to do. This was my home for 7 years of my life! To see it destroyed the way it has, it hurts. I can't turn my back on what was a second home, the friends I made here that are still alive, and ready to help too, as well as the professors I learned under while I was here. I feel an obligation to them, to see this through." Hermione explained in a rush.

"I understand Hermione, I really do." Dean replied, his voice gentle, because the hell of it was, he truly did understand the obligation to see something through. It was exactly why he had to return with Bobby, to South Dakota, back to his life. "Bobby's ready to go back to the U. S, and sweetheart, the same sense of obligation you feel to stay, is the same reason I have to go back with him."

Dean eyed her, gauging her reaction to his statement that he was going back with Bobby, and leaving her here. He saw the hurt, he saw the sadness, but he also saw resignation. She'd known this was coming. It didn't make him feel any better about their situation though.

Hermione blinked back the tears. She figured that he was most likely leaving Hogwarts, and her, but it still hurt to hear. "I'll never forget you Dean. You and Bobby were so inordinately kind to me, despite my being a stranger, and a witch. You didn't have to be so kind, so welcoming, but you were. I'll never be able to thank you enough." She said around the giant lump in her throat.

"Are you really trying to say goodbye? It's not like we have to stop talking, and it doesn't have to be the last time we ever see each other." Dean said quickly, panic at never hearing from her, or seeing her rising in his chest. He knew she was it. He wasn't going to Lisa and Ben. He wasn't going back to his womanizing ways. He just had to hope their paths crossed again.

"I'd love to keep in contact with you Dean, maybe visit again someday." Hermione said sadly. "Bobby too."

"Then we'll make it happen, sweetheart. This does not have to be permanent." Dean replied, before mentally smacking himself for how that came off. "I mean…"

"I'd like for this to not be permanent." Hermione admitted in a small, breathy voice.

Dean's breath caught for a moment while his brain processed what she'd said. "I do care for you, you know?" He asked.

"I care about you too Dean, more than you'll ever know." Hermione said, looking down at her hands once again.

The panic Dean had been feeling in his chest eased slightly with her words. Yes, being away from her was going to suck, but they both had to do what they both thought was best for them for now. He worked his body so that he was sitting next to her, his hand covering both of hers in her lap. When she looked up at him again, he could see the tears she'd been holding back. Her beautiful brown eyes were glassier than normal with them.

Dean could feel himself leaning into her. He chose not to think about what was happening, and she didn't stop him. Their lips met in a gentle kiss, pressing together once, then twice. It started out gentle and sweet at first, before escalating in passion. One thing led to another, leading the couple into a long night, of being tangled together in the most intimate way possible.

The next morning dawned sunny, and mild in temperature. The bright yellow light chased away the shadows of the night, stretching to a window. From the outside, the window was rather ordinary, but it was the couple beyond the window, that made it remarkable in any way. The light from the sun streamed through that very window, bathing the room, and the bed, in brilliant yellow. It warmed the sheets that were in disarray, and the unclad witch and hunter laying on top of said sheets.

Hermione began to stir when the light registered behind her closed eyelids. Prying them open, she took stock. Dean was lying next to her, his arm wrapped protectively around her, similar to the way he had been in her djinn induced dream. Instead of being pregnant though, she was completely undressed, and on top of the sheets. She smiled thinking about the night before, and the wonderfulness of what had happened. She knew she loved him, beyond a shadow of a doubt, and wondered if Hogwarts would be where she'd stay permanently. She wondered if she could really stay once the rebuilding was complete, knowing that the man she loved wouldn't be there with her.

Seeing Dean was still asleep, she rolled slowly, and gently, so that she was facing him. She leaned up on her elbow and whispered "I love you" in his ear, before kissing it gently. Then she carefully worked her way out of bed. Grabbing an outfit from the duffle she'd packed, she went into the lavatory where she dressed, and prepared for the day. She didn't know what day Dean and Bobby were going, but something in her gut said it would be that day. Today was the formal announcement of the rebuild. Hermione pulled on a pair of jeans, and a plain black t-shirt over her undergarments. She then brushed out her hair carefully, pulling it back in a French braid.

Dean woke alone in the bed he and Hermione had consummated their feelings in. He thought he'd heard a whispered "I love you," but he couldn't be sure, because he hadn't been totally conscious at the time. Either way, it made him smile that she at least felt something for him, as he did her. He rolled to his side, propping himself into a sitting position. He wished he'd been the first to wake so he could catch a glimpse of her innocent in sleep one last time. Apparently his memories would just have to do. He went to his duffle, pulling a clean pair of boxers, then jeans, a black t-shirt, and red button up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. By the time he finished dressing for the day, Hermione was coming out of the washroom dressed.

They smiled at each other, before continuing to prepare for the day in silence. Dean excused himself after he was done getting ready, to go speak with Bobby, and Hermione used the time away to make her way to the Great Hall for breakfast. She decided to sit with Harry, Ron, Neville, Luna, Ginny, and Cho. She took the seat next to Harry, who quietly asked her how her talk went. With a whispered "tell you later," she dug into her breakfast. It wasn't long before Bobby and Dean made their way to the large room, to eat with everyone who was gathered there, choosing to sit with Hermione and her friends. Under the table, Dean's and Hermione's hands were clasped together, fingers intertwined.

When breakfast was nearing completion, Minerva rose to address the room. Her presence caused a silence to fall over everyone as conversations ceased.

"Good morning. I have an announcement to make." She started. Unconsciously Hermione squeezed Dean's hand. She knew what was coming for him.

"It is with great pride, I can announce: that we will be starting to rebuild Hogwarts to its former glory, before the battle that took place here. Hogwarts will continue its mission, to train young witches and wizards magic, as it has for centuries since its founding. The Ministry, now under the control of Kingsley Shacklebolt, has agreed to let us take however long for the rebuild. If we do not resume magic terms this coming September, it will happen the year following. That is the goal that myself, and others who helped come to this decision, have set. Those who have volunteered their time, talent, and extraordinary perspectives for this rebuild are: Arthur, Molly, Charlie, Bill, Fleur, George, and Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Filius Flitwick, Horace Slughorn, Neville Longbottom, Pomona Sprout, Rubeus Hagrid, and Argus Filch. If there's anyone else who would like to volunteer to join this auspicious group, please see me immediately following your breakfast. For the rest of you, there is a special run of the Hogwarts Express that shall take you to London, later today. Tomorrow, the rebuilding process begins!" Minerva said before stepping back, and retaking her seat at the staff table.

Dean gently nudged Hermione with his arm, and asked her if he could talk to her in private. She nodded, releasing his hand, and getting up from the bench. Dean followed her out to the corridor, where she perched on the steps. He sat beside her, wondering how to start telling her what he and Bobby had talked about. While she waited for him to start talking, Hermione sat turning her wand around in her hands.

"I told you I had to talk to Bobby this morning?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. What's going on?" She replied, angling her head so she was looking at the weary hunter.

"He arranged with McGonagall, something called a side along apparition back to Bobby's, for him and I." Dean said, returning Hermione's gaze.

"When do you leave?" She asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

"After the train leaves, this afternoon." Dean kept it simple.

Hermione nodded once, before turning her head so she was staring at the wall ahead of her. She figured he was leaving sooner, rather than later. She could only hope he meant what he'd said about keeping in touch with her, and this goodbye not being a permanent one. She looked back at Dean, who was hunched forward, his eyes cast downwards at the steps. With a sigh, she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, sliding it over so her arm was wrapped around his shoulder blades, head perched on top of his left shoulder. They stayed that way, neither speaking, until people started exiting the Great Hall. Dean excused himself to go pack, as Bobby made his way over.

"How you doing, kiddo?" He asked in his gruff, but kind way.

"Been better Bobby." Hermione replied honestly.

"He'll never admit it, but that idjit loves you. Don't give up on him." Bobby said.

"I just hope he doesn't give up on me." Hermione said, looking down at the wand still in her hands.

Bobby patted her on the shoulder. "I doubt he could, but I'm going to go pack, save the goodbye for later."

Harry came over next, and perched himself next to her. "How'd it go?"

"About as well as could be expected I suppose." Hermione replied simply.

"He's going back isn't he?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. He says the sense of obligation I feel to be here helping with the rebuild, is the same sense of obligation he feels pulling him back to his home." Hermione said, still fidgeting with her wand.

"You two going to stay in touch?" Her friend asked.

"Yeah, we're going to try. He says if we work at it, saying goodbye won't have to be permanent." Hermione replied with a small smile.

"Smart one, he is." Harry joked. "When do they leave?"

"Today, after the Hogwarts Express leaves for London. McGonagall is taking them via side along apparition." Hermione replied.

"Ginny's currently volunteering to help with the rebuild too, so if you need anything, you know you can talk to us." Harry offered, patting her on the back.

"I appreciate that." Hermione said before standing. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go hang with Bobby and Dean as long as I can, before they have to leave."

Hermione did just what she told Harry she would, except for the hanging with Bobby part. She just spent as much alone time with Dean as she could. She helped him pack, listened to him talk about his plan to continue hunting, and sometimes, indulged him in a heavy make out session, as a distraction to what was coming. Hours passed, and as they did, Hermione's dread grew. She didn't want to say goodbye.

When the Hogwarts Express blew its final whistle, Hermione turned to Dean and Bobby who'd been waiting with her in the Great Hall. She moved towards Bobby first, to say her goodbyes to the older hunter who'd become dear to her. She launched herself at him, in a hug that he returned awkwardly.

"Look after him for me." She whispered in his ear.

"I will." He whispered back.

"Thank you for everything, I'll never forget it, and you keep in touch. You hear?" Hermione said, pulling back and looking Bobby in the eye.

"You got it, kiddo. You take care of yourself, and know that you're always welcome in my home if you ever want to pop in for a visit." Bobby told her.

"I appreciate it Bobby." Hermione said, kissing his cheek kindly, causing Bobby to blush.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, don't mention it." He grumbled.

With a giggle, she turned to Dean, the one person she didn't want to say goodbye to. She took a small step forward, and her hunter gathered her in his arms. Her arms went up around his neck, holding him to her as tightly as she could.

"Keep in touch?" She asked softly.

"Of course." He replied gently.

"Not permanent?" She asked.

"No." Was all he said.

When Minerva walked into the Great Hall to take the hunters back to Bobby's, Hermione kissed Dean one last time, before releasing her arms, and taking a step back. Minerva asked the hunters if they were ready to go, to which they replied in the affirmative. With one last wink for Hermione from Dean, they were gone from Hogwarts, and standing in the Singer Salvage yard once again.


	22. Forever

**A/n: Thank you for sticking with this story! There will be a sequel, I promise. It is going to be my NaNoWriMo project this year! Like I did with this one, the sequel won't be posted until it's written and edited. Look for it sometime in December-January (depends on how the holidays treat me.) For the final time for this fic: The characters aren't mine, they're J. K. Rowling's and Eric Kripke's.**

 **See bottom of chapter for follow up Author's Note!**

 **Chapter title inspiration: Forever- Fireflight**

 **Epilogue**

Singer Salvage, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

It had been six months since he'd seen Hermione. Six long ass months, and a lot had happened. He and Bobby kept in contact, as best they could as hunters who were forced to write letters. Somehow, an owl always found them though, with a letter for each. She would write of all they were doing, and updating them on the lives of the people they'd met, and subsequently fought beside the night of the battle. She would even add something private for Dean in each letter to him, words he held onto until he got another owl delivered letter of hers.

Nights were spent dreaming of their last night together. The way she'd felt in his arms, the way they had connected in every way possible, and how much he had, and still felt for her. His days were full; at first, with hunting, then with helping his soulless little brother get his soul back. Spending the day as Death was an experience he wasn't likely to forget any time soon. He'd written Hermione about having to play Death for a day, but didn't tell her why he'd had to, and when he'd failed, he came back to a letter that yelled at him. It had scared the poor hunter worse than anything had in a long time. An inanimate envelope, transformed into a mouth, that started yelling in Hermione's voice. Bobby had been there when it happened, and merely laughed at the terrified look on Dean's face.

He remembered the day he'd gotten that howler. Death had just shoved Sam's soul back into his body, along with a wall in his mind to block out his time in the cage. Castiel had confirmed that Sam's soul, was in fact back in place, but that it was so raw that there was a good possibility it would kill him. He shuddered, when he thought back to what Castiel had said to him:

" _If you wanted to kill your brother, you should have done it outright."_

His intention was never to hurt his brother, but he couldn't let Sam run around soulless, especially after finding him poised and ready to kill Bobby. After Sam's soul was put back in place, Sam went unconscious, Cas predicting it was unlikely he would ever wake up again. When Hermione's howler came in, Dean and Bobby had been sitting in the study, drinking whiskey. Her owl had tapped on the window of the study, waiting for one of the men to let her in. When Bobby opened the window, she'd flew through, strait to Dean who took the red enveloped letter from her beak. She flew to the desk and perched herself on the edge, as if she were waiting to take a response back. Dean opened the letter recognizing the seal:

"Dean Winchester!" The envelope yelled in Hermione's distinct voice. "Playing Death? Really? That is the dumbest, most idiotic thing I've ever heard! What if Death had asked you to kill yourself? What the hell Winchester? If you're dead, I swear to God, I'm going to resurrect you just to kill you myself! Don't think I won't!"

When the yelling ended, both hunters watched as the envelope then burst into flames right before their eyes. Dean's wide eyes met Bobby's amused ones, the older hunter leaning back in his seat at the desk.

"What the hell was that?" Dean asked, his tone shocked.

"I believe that is something I read about, known as a howler. A special kind of letter for, well, yelling at someone. It always comes in a red envelope from what I understand." Bobby replied, taking a sip of his whiskey.

"Son of a bitch! I didn't know she could yell like that." Dean said, staring at where the ashes of the envelope had fallen onto the floor in front of him.

"Better get a letter off to your girl before another one comes for you." Bobby replied, handing Dean a paper and pen.

Dean took both, retook his seat, and drafted a short note to Hermione:

 _Hermione,_

 _I'm fine. I failed at being Death though. I didn't make it all of the way through the day. I guess I just wasn't strong enough, or some shit like that. That being said, please don't kill me, I rather like being alive. Besides there's still monsters that need ganking. Until next time sweetheart._

 _~Dean_

Dean quickly folded the paper, and shoved it into an envelope, on which he'd written Hermione's name on. Licking the glue, he sealed it and gave it to her owl, who immediately took off for Hogwarts. After the owl had left, Dean was left to sit back in his seat and continue his wait with Bobby. Hopefully his brother would wake, and soon.

Two days later, and Dean had been getting restless. Sam still wasn't awake, and Bobby was starting to run low on liquor. Neither knew if they could still sit around and wait any longer. Dean spotted an article printed on Bobby's desk and grabbed it.

"Job?" He asked the older hunter.

"Might be." Bobby replied, watching Dean scan the article.

"Could I help? Send me to the library? Anything?" Dean asked, rubbing his forehead with his fingertips.

"Couple goes up in a plane, wreckage was just found in the woods." Bobby summarized the article.

"Couple of Buddy Holly's doesn't really sound like news of the weird." Dean replied, sliding the article across the desk back to Bobby.

"Pilot was found 17 miles away, flambéed. The girl's just gone. No body, no nothing." Bobby said.

Dean's eyebrows rose with the new information. "Okay, I'm not changing the channel." Maybe it was a case after all. Before he could say anything more on the subject though, his brother, now with soul intact, announced his conscious presence. It was the best thing Dean could have had happen right in that moment.

Now, here he was, a couple of days later, and they were on a case. Dragons. The hunt was an okay distraction, but with Sam having a soul now, it freed up space in Dean's mind for a certain brown haired, brown eyed witch he hadn't seen for six months. He never got an owl back from her acknowledging the fact he'd played Death, failed, and survived. That surprised him, forcing her more to the forefront of his mind.

Another day had the brothers wrapping up their case and heading back to Bobby's.

Hogwarts, England

Hermione re-read Dean's letter for the third time since it was delivered 3 days earlier. No matter how many times she read it, she couldn't stop the rush of relief she felt when she'd read that he was still alive. She felt sad that he hadn't made a very good Death, and she figured he'd be beating himself up over it.

Slowly, Hermione lifted himself from her bed, the same one she'd shared with Dean months ago, and picked up her carefully packed duffle bag. Six months she'd thrown herself into the rebuild, much to Harry, Ginny, and Ron's protests. They were barely speaking to her anymore after she willingly chose to ignore their advice. She knew what she had to do, she was just scared of doing it.

Throwing on an oversized hoodie, she grabbed her wand, and exited the room. She made her way through the castle until she found Ron, Harry, Ginny, and Hannah Abbott sitting together at a table in the Great Hall. Shoving her letter in the front pocket of her hoodie, she sat down to address her friends.

"I'm leaving Hogwarts." She told them.

"Are you going to go to him finally?" Ron asked sharply.

"Yes Ron." Hermione replied, rolling her eyes.

"Hermione, this is for the best, and you know it. You should have done this sooner." Harry said in a gentler tone than Ron had used.

"I know, I just needed to come to that realization on my own, and in my own time." Hermione tried to explain.

"We're here for you Hermione. Just because you're leaving, doesn't mean you can't come to us for anything." Ginny said, placing her hand gently on Hermione's.

"Thank you Ginny, Harry, Ron for everything these last few months. They haven't exactly been easy." Hermione said, meaning every word.

"We know. Now, go get prince charming!" Hannah Abbott joked.

Hermione gave the group one last smile before going out to the courtyard. She walked to the same spot where she, Bobby, and Dean had landed the night of the Battle of Hogwarts. She could still remember everything from that night with stunning clarity, including this. Standing in that special spot, she closed her eyes and pictured Singer Salvage in intense detail. Taking a deep breath, she jerked her wand, and disappeared from the courtyard.

Singer Salvage, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Dean and Sam were standing in front of Bobby's desk in the study, as the elder hunter laid an ancient looking book down in front of them, opened to a page that definitely was not written in English.

"Now, near as I can figure it, this dates back to around the 14th century." Bobby said, turning the book so that the brothers could examine it.

"What language is it?" Sam asked, not recognizing the writing.

"Da Vinci code?" Bobby replied sarcastically. "Real obscure Latin. It'll take me my golden years to translate it all. Oh, and uh, F. Y. I. that ain't paper."

Dean who was handling the pages with care whipped his eyes to Bobby, his brows pulling down in a disturbed frown. "What is it?" He asked hoping the answer was not what he suspected.

"It's human skin." Bobby replied as if it were no big deal, disturbing both brothers. Dean actually wiped his fingers down the front of his shirt. _As if that's going to do anything_ , he thought to himself.

"Okay, I'm fairly clear on this first bit. It's basically describes this place, the backside of your worst nightmares, it's all blood, and bone, and darkness. Filled with the bodies and souls of all things hungry, sharp, and nasty." Bobby informed them.

"Monsters." Sam summed up.

"It's monster land. According to this it goes by many names, most of which, I can't pronounce, but I'm thinking you know Purgatory." Bobby replied.

"Purgatory?" Dean questioned. Bobby gave him a nod. "Awesome. Well that, is good to know." He continued in an unamused tone, while pouring a glass of whiskey. "So you're saying that these, uh, dragon freaks, were squatting in the sewers and reading poems about Purgatory?"

"No, no, they were reading an instruction manual." Bobby told him.

"What?" Dean asked. This was getting worse with every word Bobby said.

"If you're nuts enough to want access to a place that gnarly, this book will show you how to open a door." Bobby replied, his tone conveying the seriousness of the situation.

"Door to purgatory. I know a demon who would have loved to have known about that." Dean commented, taking a sip of the amber liquor. Sam nodded, and so did Bobby, while Dean stared into his glass contemplating another question. "So how do you open the door?"

"Ask Cloverfield. I'm pretty sure he's got that page." Bobby replied, gesturing to a spot in the book, where a page was obviously missing. "It gets worse."

"Worse?" Sam questioned.

"This ain't talking about how to take a vacation over there. This is all about opening a door, and letting something in." Bobby replied.

"Bring something here." Sam stated for clarification. "What?"

"I'm working on it." Bobby replied.

"Could you give us something?" Dean asked.

"I got a name." Bobby told him.

"Okay?" The older of the Winchester boys asked.

"Mother." Bobby said.

"Mother? Mother of what? Dragons?" Sam asked confused.

"I wish. It says it a few times here, Mother of All." Bobby told the boys.

"What the hell does 'Mother of All' mean?" Dean asked forcefully, not liking the sounds of what Bobby was saying.

"I don't know." Bobby replied honestly.

Everyone in the room was so busy taking in the seriousness of the situation they were faced with, that they never heard the crack of someone aparating. Hermione stood in front of the familiar homestead of Bobby's. Seeing the Impala, she knew Dean was here, which was good. It meant she wouldn't have to sit around and worry until he came back. She made her way, as best she could to the front door, her palms beginning to sweat with each step she took.

She went up the short steps onto the porch, and rapped on the door before she could lose her courage. Swinging her duffle in front of her, she stood and waited. When no one answered, she tried knocking again, only louder this time. Immediately, she could hear the sounds of heavy booted footfalls. The door swung open to reveal a haggard looking Bobby Singer.

"Hermione?" He asked as if he was afraid she wasn't really there.

"Hello Bobby." She replied with a small smile.

"Good to see you, kiddo! Come on in!" Bobby said, letting her walk by him into the house. He handed her the silver cup that she'd used last time, and again she passed as human with flying colors.

"Glad to see some things haven't changed." Hermione teased, handing the cup back to him.

"You know me, stuck in my ways." He replied, taking the cup into the kitchen.

"Wouldn't have it any other way Bobby." Hermione called, alerting both Winchester boys to her presence.

Hearing more heavy footfalls, Hermione turned to see her hunter come around the corner, followed closely by the tallest of the guys she'd seen in the cemetery the day she'd met Dean and Bobby.

"Hermione?" Dean asked as if he had seen a ghost.

"Hello Dean." She echoed the same greeting she'd given to Bobby.

Dean took a moment to study her. She was wearing a way oversized hoodie, and her face was somehow rounder than he remembered. Her eyes had dark circles underneath them, as if she hadn't been getting much sleep. Her hair, that he remembered seeing always up in a ponytail, or braid, was hanging down to brush against her shoulders. In many ways she was the same, but she was different somehow too. Hearing his brother clear his throat, jerked him out of his perusal.

"I'm sorry, Hermione, this is my brother Sam." Dean said.

"Sam? As in 'he's gone' Sam?" Hermione asked gently, her eyes widening slightly.

"Long story, but yes I am." Sam replied, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Hermione, friend of your brother and Bobby." The young witch replied, moving forward, with her hand out to shake Sam's. He accepted her handshake warmly.

"So why are you here?" Dean asked abruptly, startling Hermione.

"Dean!" Sam and Bobby admonished.

"It's okay, I caught you all unaware." Hermione started. "I just came to talk to Dean for a moment. If that's okay?"

"Okay sweetheart, let's go outside. We can walk and talk out there, without ears." Dean said, falling into his usual easy banter.

Hermione gave him a small smile before setting aside her duffle by the door. Dean let her go first out the door and down the steps before matching his stride to hers so that they were walking side by side.

"It's been a while." Dean commented.

"I know, we've been busy." Hermione replied.

"Understatement of the century." Dean said lowly, scrubbing a hand down his face. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I want you to know, Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Ron's girlfriend Hannah, all told me I should have done this sooner. I know I should have, but well, I have no excuse for why I didn't." Hermione started, her nerves making her ramble.

Dean looked down at her seeing her face flush a bright pink color as she rambled, and recalled how attractive he'd thought it back when they'd first met.

"Hermione, it's okay, you can just tell me." Dean encouraged, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Taking a deep breath to steel herself, Hermione came clean: "Dean, I'm six months pregnant."

* * *

 **Hi guys! For everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed, you guys are amazing! I updated here, yesterday on the status of the sequel. Today, I have decided to make a twitter page for you all to follow if you want real time updates on how it's coming. I may even poll you guys if I get stuck! My handle is HisButterflygrl which is my NaNoWriMo username. If you're interested in real time updates, that's where y'all can find me! Much love!  
**


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